Avatar: Last Airbender - Fugitive Rin (Earth)
by DeadGirlEtarnal
Summary: Second in The Rin Series. Everyone thinks they know the story of how Aang and his friends stopped Fire Lord Ozai and the 100-year war. Well, this is a twist in the tale with a new face. General Rin Yuu joined Prince Zuko and former General Iroh three years ago on the hunt for the Avatar. Since the Siege of the North Pole Rin and Zuko have begun dating will this strain the relations
1. Classified File

**Full Name -** _Rin Yuu (First - Last Name) *Rinako*_

 **Name Meaning -** _Cold Companion (First) Excellence, Superiority, Gentleness (Last)_

 **Age -** _16 - 17_

 **Birth -** _(Unknown)_

(Found - _83_ _AG Early Summer)_

 **Gender -** _Female_

 **Height -** _5'1"_

 **Weight -** _125 lbs_

 **Nationality -** _Fire Nation_

 **Ethnicity -** _Fire Nation Army_

 **Position -** _(Former) General, Traitor (Note: extremely dangerous)_

 **Appearance -** _Blond long hair in two low ponytails (Note: may have changed either colour or length), bright golden eyes, burn scar on right shoulder._

 **Attire -** _Earth Kingdom clothing, Spyware, Purple dragon mask, Sleepwear._

 **Bending Ability -** _Fire (Purple)_

 **Weapons -** _Double-Edged Scythe_

 **Friends -** _Iroh, Ty Lee, Mai, Zuko,_

 **Family -** _Jou Yuu (Adopted Father - Deceased), Sai Yuu (Adopted Mother - Deceased)_

 **Enemies -** _Princess Azula, Fire Lord Ozai, Zhao_

 **Relationship -** _Zuko (Boyfriend)_

 **Interests -** _Training, Fighting, Zuko, Control, Combat, Meditation, Reading Books, Listening To Music, Swimming, Cooking_

 **Disinterest -** _Practical Jokes, Losing, Avatar Chasing, Reports, Zhao Behaviour, Bringing Up Her Past_

 **Personality -** _Somewhat Calm, Controlling, Slightly Aggressive, Sarcastic, Sassy, Loyal, Creative, Defensive, Level Headed Whilst Fighting, Willful, People Person, Smart, Snarky, Cocky_

 **Background -** _She was found outside on the doorstep of the house of General Jou Yuu and Sai Yuu. She was thought to be an orphan. She was raised as a Firebending soldier prodigy. Sai Yuu (Adopted Mother) became deadly ill when she was 6 years old, and Jou Yuu (Adopted Father) died in action in the Earth Kingdom when she was 10 years old. She joined the Fire Nation Army at the age 8 years old, she raised through the ranks quickly making General at age 12. At age 14 she was assigned to protect Prince Zuko and Former General Iroh on their journey to find The Avatar. After the attempted siege on the North Pole has been hard to track down, have sent out Princess Azula to track all three down to return home. General Rin will be debriefed and sent back out to battle as for Prince Zuko and former General Iroh, will be imprisoned._


	2. I Can Take Her!

_"Water... Earth... Fire... Air…" Katara voices over as the benders demonstrate as she talks. "My grandmother used to tell me stories about the old days, a time of peace when the Avatar kept the balance between the Water Tribes, Earth Kingdom, Fire Nation, and Air Nomads. But that all changed when the Fire Nation attacked." It journeys into the map showing the world and closes in on a bender displaying all the elements. "Only the Avatar mastered all four elements. Only he could stop the ruthless firebenders. But when the world needed him most, he vanished." He disappears from sight. "A hundred years have passed and the Fire Nation is nearing victory in the war. Two years ago, my father and the men of my tribe journeyed to the Earth Kingdom to help fight against the Fire Nation, leaving me and my brother to look after our tribe." It shows the Water Tribe men on their boats and Katara hugging her older brother Sokka holding up a lantern. "Some people believe that the Avatar was never reborn into the Air Nomads and that the cycle is broken, but I haven't lost hope. I still believe that somehow the Avatar will return to save the world."_

 **I Can Take Her!**

In the Earth Kingdom a bathhouse sits with blossoming cherry trees, Iroh lies on his back receiving a massage from two attendants, with Zuko and Rin sitting to the side away from him, Zuko conceals his face with a hat as Rin hides both her hair and face with a dark brown shawl. "Aaahhh… this is what I've been missing. Who knew floating on a piece of driftwood for three weeks with no food or water and sea vultures waiting to pluck out your liver could make one so tense?" Iroh asks rhetorically as he casts a glance at the couple, sitting next to one another, he let them in those three weeks tell him they were now together, it was around week two. He gets up from the massage table and walks over to the couple sitting beside them on the ground, he looks at their faces and realises what the day was. "I see. It's the anniversary, isn't it?" He asks them as Zuko hides his face more as Rin leans her head on his shoulder in a form of comfort for the downcast teen.

"Three years ago today I was banished. I lost it all. I want it back. I want the Avatar, I want my honour, I want my throne. I want my father not to think I'm worthless." Zuko rants dejectedly, Rin loops her arm around his waist and he leans the top of his head on top of hers.

"I'm sure he doesn't! Why would he banish you if he didn't care?" Iroh replies with exaggerated optimism, this causes Zuko to get up from his stop and walk away, Rin looks at the former General in annoyance as he seems surprised with the attendants behind him. "Erg… that came out wrong, didn't it?" He asks himself and Rin gets up from her spot turning her face over her shoulder at him.

"He knows you mean well, he's been like it all day." She tries to reassure him and walks in the same direction as the dejected Prince.

* * *

Rin goes on the search for Zuko and soon finds him under one of the cherry trees, she joins him under the tree, she places her head on his shoulder again in a form of comfort. "He means well." She tells him looking out at the scenery.

"I know." He replies as he loops his arm around her waist like she had done before pulling her towards him. She kneels in front of him wrapping her arms around his neck as he leans his head on her chest listening to her heartbeat, they just stay like that in their own little world away from everything.

* * *

On a warship, two lines of red armour-clad Fire Nation soldiers are standing on the deck, and fall to their knees as the elaborate cabin opens at the edge of the ship. Four servants carry out a curtained platform between the two lines of soldiers and soon stop at the top of the stairs pulling apart the curtains to reveal Princess Azula. She steps off of the platform and begins to examine the soldiers, she raises a hand, then looks at the two rows and they rise to their feet, she begins to walk between them. "My brother and my Uncle have disgraced the Fire Lord and brought shame on all of us. You may have mixed feelings about attacking members of the royal family; I understand. But I assure you, if you hesitate, I will _not_ hesitate to bring you down. Dismissed." Azula finishes her speech but the soldiers do not quieter yet.

"What of General RIn?" One of the soldiers inquires, Azula snaps her head in his direction with a glare at the bare mention of the girl's name and rank.

"She is to come home a hero as always," Azula answers him and all the soldiers seem to relax at the news which angers the spoiled Princess as they quickly run off leaving the captain to approach her.

"Princess, I'm afraid the tides will not allow us to bring the ship into port before nightfall." The Captain informs her respectfully, she turns to him walking to her left as she speaks.

"I'm sorry, Captain, but I do not know much about the tides. Can you explain something to me?" She asks him feigning confusion.

"Of course, Your Highness." He replies still being respectful of the arrogant Princess.

"Do the tides command this ship?" She asks him not really expecting an answer as she was so cryptic or confusing in her question.

"Uh… I'm afraid I do not understand." He replies, confused at what she had asked.

"You said the tides would not _allow_ us to bring the ship in. Do the tides command this ship?" She asks him condescendingly this causes the Captain to look at her nervously.

"No, Princess." He answers as she looks out over the ocean.

"And if I were to have you thrown overboard, would the tides think twice about smashing you against the rocky shore?" She asks him expecting the same answer and he gups in fear of her closing his eyes.

"No, Princess." He answers nervously and she pushes a strand of hair from her face, then turns around to face him.

"Well, then, maybe you should worry less about the tides who've already made their mind about killing you and worry more about me, who's still mulling it over." She remarks in a threatening tone.

"I'll pull us in." He replies quickly and bows respectfully to her and runs off towards the cabin, leaving a glaring Azula.

* * *

Inside the cabin, the captain slams the door behind him, the soldiers all look at him feeling sympathy for the man who came close to death. "She's evil." He mumbles and goes to the helm of the ship.

"Tell me about it, I miss General Rin." A soldier agrees and all the others nod their heads in agreement but look startled as if Azula could have heard them and continue on with their work.

* * *

On the deck of the battleship Azula practices her lightning bending, with the sun setting in the background, she brings her arms down in front of her. Two old women, Lo and Li watching on from the top of the stairs as Azula swings her arm around, electricity sparking from her left hand. She brings it around in a circle, then begins to mimic the motion with her right hand, electricity shooting from her index and middle fingers. She brings her fingers together, then lunges forward, launching a lightning bolt from her left hand, the lightning arcs over the edge of the ship. Her fingers smoking from the bolt of lightning and a single strand of hair dangles in front of her face.

"Almost perfect," Lo remarks.

"One hair out of place," Li adds on to her twins remark, this angers Azula causing her to glare at the one strand of hair out of place wiping it from her eyes.

"'Almost' isn't good enough! Rin got it in one go!" Azula exclaims in rage.

"General Rin is a special case," Lo replies, before Azula begins the training sequence again, shooting lightning.

* * *

At the bathhouse in Iroh's room, he awakens suddenly as if sensing Azula's lightning close by, he sits up in his bed and stares out the doorway, unaware that Azula was closing in.

* * *

Later on in the bathhouse in the same room, Iroh empties a bag of seashells onto the table and lifts a few, inspecting them closely. "Look at these magnificent shells! I'll enjoy these keepsakes for years to come." Iroh gushes at the shells.

"We don't need any more useless things." Zuko retorts but Rin slaps her hand over his mouth to quiet him.

"You forget we have to carry everything ourselves now." Rin remarks at the former General trying to keep Zuko calm.

"Hello, Brother. Uncle. Rin." Azula greets them as she sits at a table in the foreground, her hand on a shell, the three look at her surprised but it immediately turns to anger and Zuko steps forward in an almost protective manner of the other two.

"What are you doing here?" Zuko questions her accusingly, she seems utterly unaffected by their glares as she toys with the seashell in her hand.

"In my country, we exchange a pleasant 'hello' before asking questions." Azula retorts arrogantly then gets up walking over to face Zuko. "Have you become uncivilized so soon, Zuzu?" She asks him.

"Don't call me that!" He snaps at her furiously.

"To what do we owe this honour?" Iroh asks her.

"Hmm… must be a family trait. Both of you so quick to get to the point." She shatters one of Iroh's shells with her sharp nails on the last word with Iroh's face darkening at the action. "I've come with a message from home. Father's changed his mind. Family is suddenly very important to him. He's heard rumours of plans to overthrow him - treacherous plots. Family are the only ones you can really trust." Her face softens almost to the point she looks innocent. "Father regrets your banishment. He wants you home." She informs them and Zuko looks out of the window as Iroh and Rin share a look of suspicion. "Did you hear me? You should be happy. Excited. Grateful. I just gave you great news." She adds with a pleasant expression on her face,

"I'm sure your brother just needs a moment to-" Iroh tries telling her but she cuts him off.

"Don't interrupt, Uncle!" She snaps at him, herself interrupts angrily, then addresses Zuko and walk up beside him. "I still haven't heard my thank you. I am not a messenger. I didn't have to come all this way." She remarks.

"Father regrets? He… wants me back?" He asks with shock and quiet disbelief.

"I can see you need time to take this in. I'll come to call on you tomorrow. Good evening." Azula says and walks off leaving them to their thoughts.

"Zuko…" Rin seems hesitant at first but stops as Zuko hugs her close to his chest, she could feel something was wrong with Azula's words, they didn't ring any truth.

* * *

Night falls over the bathhouse and the three are still in their room they were staying in, Zuko walks behind a thoughtful Iroh and a worried Rin, carrying some folded clothing. "We're going home. After three long years. It's unbelievable." Zuko almost gushes.

"It is unbelievable. I have never known my brother to regret anything." Iroh replies sceptically, at first he sounds surprised, then forceful.

"I have to agree," Rin mumbles looking at Iroh.

"Did you listen to Azula? Father's realised how important family is to him. He cares about me." Zuko argues not seeing the deception in front of him.

"I care about you. And if Ozai wants you back… well, I think it may not be for the reasons you imagine." Iroh argues back trying to warn his narrow-minded nephew.

"You don't know how my father feels about me." Zuko snaps in defence turning his back to Iroh. "You don't know anything." He adds, his body stiffening.

"Zuko, I only meant that in our family things are not always what they seem," Iroh argues him point trying to warn his nephew. Zuko whirls around angrily to face Iroh, leaning in as he accuses him.

"I think you are exactly what you seem: a lazy, mistrustful, shallow old man who has always been jealous of his brother," Zuko says nastily and turns walking away leaving Iroh looking on sadly, then closes his eyes.

"I'm sorry you had to see that." Iroh apologises looking at Rin who looks at the doorway Zuko had stormed out of.

"He didn't mean that Iroh, he always gets defensive when that subject gets brought up." Rin reasons, he already knew all of this it had happened enough times. "I'll go and find him." She tells him, she puts her hand on the old man's shoulder in comfort before running out after the grumpy Prince.

* * *

Rin walks into the dark courtyard of the bathhouse to find the Prince staring out into nothingness, she reaches him and wraps him in a hug from behind. "I'll stay by your side for a long time to come," Rin vows to him, squeezing his waist slightly.

"And I'll stay by yours for a long time to come too." He vows, turning into her embrace holding her in his arms.

* * *

The next day outside of the bathhouse on the stairway, Zuko and Rin descend the stairs quickly, he carries a bag over his shoulder and another in his hand while Rin loops her arm around his, trying to take the bag from his hand. He pauses for a moment this stops Rin from trying to snatch the bag from him as they look down at the Fire Nation ship in the bay below, then turn to continue on.

"Wait!" Iroh calls out urgently to the teens as he descends the stairs waving out to them. "Don't leave without me!"

"Uncle! You've changed your mind!" Zuko says in surprise, but he was happy that his Uncle was joining them.

"Family sticks together, right?" Iroh reminds him.

"Let's go home together," Rin tells them as Iroh puts a hand on Zuko's shoulder smiling happily as he remembers the times he was younger spending time with his beloved Uncle and they all turn around looking down at the ship below.

"We're finally going home." Zuko smiles having one last look before he continues on but leaves Iroh and Rin behind as they take a second glance at the ship, they share a look as if secretly saying between them, they knew something was up and both catch up with the excited Prince.

* * *

They finally make it to the bay with the ship, the three of them walk on the pier towards the ship with a group of Fire Nation soldiers form two ranks along the path leading to the ship. Zuko, Iroh and Rin walk towards them with Azula standing at the top of the stairs leading onto the ship, a soldier on either side. They walk between the soldiers, Zuko looks content, while Rin and Iroh eye the soldiers suspiciously, they get closer near the bottom of the stairs, Azula raises her arms in greeting and bows to them. "Brother! Uncle! Rin!" Azula greets them and the others bow to her, but Iroh opens one eye slightly, watching the soldiers beside him. "Welcome. I'm so glad you decided to come." She says as the two files of soldiers close in behind Zuko, Rin and Iroh.

"Are we ready to depart, Your Highness?" The Captain asks her looking almost nervously at Rin, which causes her to go rigid as if ready to attack.

"Set our course for home, Captain," Azula orders him seeming so innocent hiding the evil inside.

"Home…" Zuko says wistfully then they begin to climb the stairs onto the stairs, the Captain leading the way.

"You heard the Princess! Raise the anchors! We're taking the prisoners and General Rin ho-" The Captain abruptly stops ordering his men, when he realises his mistake. Zuko, Rin and Iroh stop in their steps, looking surprised - Iroh and Rin not so much - and Azula looks at the Captain enraged for his slip up whose eyes widen in fear of what the girl would do. "Your Highness… I…" He tries says, Zuko eyes widen as Iroh looks to his left and Rin looks to her right.

The two Generals spin in different directions, backhanding two guards off of the ship and kicking another two down the incline. Another guard approaches from Iroh's left, he elbows him off the incline and punches another that approaches from his right and grabs another, spinning him around and tossing him.

Rin jumps down the incline spinning on her heels kicking out at the guards knocking them out of the way, then blasts three out of the way as they run towards her. Zuko grabs one of the guards, throwing him off of the incline into the water below as he stalks up the incline, furious with his younger sister. "You lied to me!" He shouts at her who appears to be confident.

"Like I've never done that before," Azula replies smugly at her older brother and turns around then walks away, and the two guards launch fire at him, he brushes the fire aside and charges forward, screaming.

* * *

Zuko leaps on board the ship, knocking both of the guards on either side out of the way with two blasts of fire shooting from his arm and leg. Zuko takes up a fighting stance while Azula remains motionless, her back to her brother, she glances to her left grinning evilly showing her true self and he brings his arms down, fire daggers appearing in his fists.

* * *

On the pier below, Iroh and Rin are still fighting soldiers, a soldier launches a kick at Iroh, but a blast of fire from him sends the soldier flying. Rin throws a punch towards a soldier knocking him off of the pier, she gets grabbed from behind by another soldier, she headbutts them knocking them back tumbling away, she ducks down swiping at his legs and he falls to the ground groaning. Two other soldiers approach from each side of Iroh and he sends two blasts of fire at them, knocking them from the path. Another guard launches a fireball at Iroh's face, but he avoids it just in time, grabbing the soldier's arm and putting a hand on his neck. Holding the guard, he turns towards the ship as Rin slams another soldier heading for Iroh. "Zuko! Let's go!" Iroh shouts out to his nephew, then tosses the guard off the side, when another approaches him, throwing fire at them, but Rin steps in pushing him away with a palm to the face.

* * *

On the deck of the ship, Zuko swings his fire dagger at his younger sister, swinging them at Azula repeatedly, but she simply avoids them then grabs a hold of his arm and spins him around, she lets him go he jumps back breathing heavily. "You know Father blames Uncle for the loss at the North Pole. And he considers you a miserable failure for not finding the Avatar. Why would he want you back, except to lock you up where you can no longer embarrass him?" She taunts him but this just angers him. He brings out his fire daggers again leaping at Azula, throwing a flaming kick at her head. She leaps back, nimbly dodging his blows, she swipes at his face with her fingernails, he staggers backwards, revealing three cuts on his forehead from her fingernails.

Zuko charges forward, screaming, swiping his fire daggers at Azula but she just blocks his blows effortlessly and the fight continues up the stairs towards the cabin of the ship. She kicks him, knocking him down the stairs a bit. He recovers quickly and charges back towards Azula, she blocks his fist grabbing his arm, bringing it down harmlessly. She glares at him, and his eyes widen, she tosses a blue flame at his head, sending him tumbling down the incline. He lands with a thud onto the deck as he tries to relocate Azula, she stands at the top of the incline and begins to swing her arms in an arc around, lightning arcing in front of her and she aims her fingers at Zuko and a lightning bolt shoots out towards him.

Just in time Iroh, suddenly appears grabbing Azula's fingers in his hand channelling the electricity through his body and shoots it from his free hand, letting it explode harmlessly into the cliffside. He turns around facing away from her to reveal Rin standing there glaring at the Princess with pure hatred. "For you Rin dear," Iroh tells her, she smiles at him and she runs towards the Princess punching her, sending her flying overboard. She falls into the water below with a splash, Iroh, Zuko and Rin run off of the ship and down the path.

"Well done Rin," Iroh praises, she just laughs as they run away.

* * *

At the bathhouse, a very livid Azula stands on the porch in front of a crowd of civilians with some guards behind her and pulls out a wanted poster with pictures of Iroh, Zuko and Rin with some writing on the side. "Anyone who harbours these traitors will face the wrath of the Fire Lord." She threatens them and the crowd below her cower in fear as she looks close to madness. "There will be no place left to hide." She says menacingly.

* * *

Zuko, Rin and Iroh continue on running by a riverside, the three of them run down a path, they pause at a small body of water at the side of the river, they collapse onto their knees. "I think we're safe here." Iroh comments.

"We need to change our appearance." Rin points out and Zuko brings out a knife with some writing on the blade edge, he stares at it for a moment, the other two nod solemnly and turns to Zuko. He takes the knife bringing it behind his head and cuts off his ponytail then passes the knife to Iroh, who does the same and he passes it over to Rin who cuts her two ponytails with a tear to leak from her right eye as she thinks of her mother. Zuko's hand releases the ponytail, letting it fall into the water in front of them and the other two do the same, they're hair floats down the river. Zuko sees Rin covering her eyes, he moves to her side comforting her as she silently cries, Iroh looks on at them feeling happy for them, that they had found on another. He gets up slowly and pats her on the shoulder before leaving them by the riverside to themselves.

* * *

A few days later, in the Earth Kingdom somewhere in a forest, Iroh looks down at a pretty white and red flower, he squats down in front of the plant, almost mesmerized. He wears a dark green shirt and trousers, a bush begins moving in the background and a series of grunts are heard as Zuko and Rin, clad in similar colours to him, emerge from the bush but Zuko now has black hair covering his head and Rin's hair was tidier. "We didn't find anything to eat. I can't live like this. Rin is starving. We weren't meant to be fugitives." Zuko exclaims in frustration kicking at the ground angrily. "This is impossible!" But this is ignored by his Uncle as he sniffs the flower deeply as Rin tries to calm him down.

"Iroh… what are you doing?" Rin asks him slightly confused by his actions.

"You're looking at the rare white dragon bush," Irho tells them. "It leaves make a tea so delicious it's heartbreaking!" He says lovingly. "That, or it's the white jade bush, which is poisonous." He adds gravely.

"We need food, not tea. We're going fishing." Zuko tells his Uncle.

"Please, don't chance it Iroh," Rin warns him and they go off to the nearby river.

"Delectable tea? Or deadly poison?" Iroh contemplates stroking his chin.

* * *

At the nearby river, Zuko stands in the water with the long fishing stick, as Rin sits on the side her head leaning on her hand watching him strike the water, he grumbles to himself for a second and goes off over to her. She moves slightly so her head leans on his shoulder as he grumbles again this time she can hear his apology. "I'm sorry I couldn't find any food for you." But Rin just kisses him on the cheek causing him to blush.

"As long as I have you, I'm fine." She reassures him and he goes out again into the water and strikes down into the water, he pulls the stick up but it was a tiny fish on the end, this causes him to groan in annoyance and Rin to laugh at the misfortune but they continue to wait.

* * *

Two hours later Zuko and Rin return back to where they had left Iroh by himself, Zuko carries the long fishing stick with a sour expression as he had caught what looks like a minnow and it just wiggles pathetically. Zuko walks over to Iroh and stands behind him as Rin sits down by their belongings or what they had left of them. "Zuko, Rin, remember that plant that I thought might be tea?" Iroh asks his nephew, hoping he'd clue in.

"You didn't!" Rin exclaims in horror getting to her feet.

"I did," Iroh confirms turning around to reveal his red, swollen face which he scratches. "And it wasn't."

"Yah!" Zuko says repulsed.

"When the rash spreads to my throat, I will stop breathing," Iroh says so calm white scratching at his stomach. "But look what I found! These are bacui berries, known to cure the poison of the white jade plant. That or macahoni berries that cause blindness." He adds excitedly.

"We're not taking any more chances with these plants! We need to get help." Zuko tells him losing his patience and takes them from Iroh, then throws them away.

"But where are we going to go? We're enemies of the Earth Kingdom, and fugitives from the Fire Nation." Rin points out looking at Iroh as he scratches at his skin in different positions as she says that.

"If the Earth Kingdom, discovers us, they'll have us killed." Zuko muses over.

"But if the Fire Nation discovers us, we'll be turned over to Azula," Iroh adds on, the men look at each other and nod in agreement before looking at the annoyed woman in front of them.

"Earth Kingdom it is," Zuko says taking Rin's hand in his.

"I could take her," Rin mumbles in annoyance as they walk off heading to a village.

"I know." Zuko agrees, knowing that she could but as she was so hungry he wasn't too sure she could stand for too long, this was verified as she sways on her feet, almost falling to the ground but Zuko quickly catches her in his arms as she faints from hunger and carries her in his arms as he and his Uncle walk both looking at one another in concern for the unconscious woman.

* * *

They make it to a small village, in a hospital, a Doctor works on a patient who lies down his back and across the room where Iroh sits on another table. He is attended to by a Healer, naked from the waist up, the Healer's name is Song, Iroh is covered with red rashes from eating the flower as Song applies a clay-like substance to the rash. Zuko sits behind them with a sleeping Rin on his lap in the background, a coolie hat obscuring his face as he looks down at Rin's face in worry. "You three must not be from around here. We know better than to touch the white jade, much less make it into tea and drink it." Song comments as she works.

"Whoops!" Iroh replies laughing slightly sheepishly.

"So where are you travelling from?" Song asks them innocently.

"Yes, we're travellers." Zuko cuts off quickly.

"Do you have names?" She asks them.

"Names, of course, we have names. I'm… Lee. And this is my Uncle, uh… Mushi and my girlfriend… Kyo." Zuko answers hesitantly, Iroh shoots his nephew an unhappy look on his name from behind Song's back.

"Yes, but my nephew was named after his father, so we just call him junior." Iroh retorts getting back at his nephew, he looks over Song's shoulder, who balls up his fists at the name his Uncle has given him.

"Mushi, Junior and Kyo, huh? My name is Song. You three look like you could use a good meal especially Kyo." She says then turns around and swats Iroh's hand away from scratching his rash. "Why don't you stay for dinner."

"Sorry, but we need to be moving on." Zuko declines her question.

"That's too bad. My mum always makes too much roast duck." Song says and Iroh's puffy, clay-smeared face approaches her to the side.

"Where do you live, exactly?" Iroh asks her then looks at the still unconscious Rin lying on Zuko's lap.

* * *

It was nightfall now inside Song's home, as Zuko, Iroh, Song and the now conscious Rin sit at a knee-high, Asian styled table when Song's Mother approaches the table with a plate of roast duck. "My daughter tells me you're refugees. We were once refugees ourselves." Song's mother comments seating herself at the table.

"When I was a little girl, the Fire Nation raided our farming village. All the men were taken away. That was the last time I saw my father." Song tells them sadly as she finishes Zuko and Rin lower their gaze.

"I haven't seen my father in many years," Zuko says.

"Oh. Is he fighting in the war?" Song asks him, Iroh finishes slurping a mouthful of noodles as he looks with some trepidation at his nephew to see how he will answer this dangerous question, Zuko puts his bowl down on the table and opens his mouth to reply.

"Yeah, Lee gets very upset about it, best not to bring it up too much," Rin replies cutting in as Zuko to corroborate the story he looks away.

* * *

Still at Song's house, with a large porch lamp, Zuko and Rin sit down cross-legged on the porch outside when Song exits the house, walking over to them and sits beside Zuko much to Rin's annoyance, she groans mentally thinking of Song to be desperate. "Can I join you? I know what you've been through. We've all been through it. The Fire Nation has hurt you." Song says to Zuko but Rin just wants to tell her to go away but keeps quiet but stops when in the corner of her eyes she sees Song reach out to touch his scar, but Rin grabs her hand without looking before she reaches his face. "It's okay. They've hurt me, too." She adds practically ignoring Rin, which just makes her angrier, mentally hitting the naive girl repeatedly. Song raises the part of her dress covering her right left to reveal a burn scar, this shocks the two Firebenders and Rin without looking pulls her shirt off of her right shoulder to show a similar burn scar there. No one knew how she had gotten the scar, some said it was on a battlefield, others said her father had but they were just theories.

"Can I ask, Song? Why do you seem to always be happy?" Rin asks her shocking herself almost but Song just smiles at her in response.

Sometime later Zuko, Iroh and Rin leave Song's house, they stand in her courtyard and fireflies buzz lazily around them with Song and her mother stand ready to bid them goodbye. "Thank you for the duck. It was excellent." Iroh tells her graciously.

"You're welcome." Song's Mother replies handing him a package, presumably some leftover roast duck. "It brings me joy to see someone eat my cooking with such… gusto." She adds.

"Much practice." Iroh pats his stomach and Zuko turns to leave, but Rin stops him.

"Junior, where are your manners?" Rin asks him teasingly with a smirk.

"You need to thank these nice people," Iroh adds on and Zuko turns back offering a small bow, his face still obscured by his coolie hat.

"Thank you." Both Zuko and Rin say together but he says it quietly, without much feeling as she says it loud enough for the both of them.

"I know you don't think there's any hope left in the world, but there is hope. The Avatar has returned!" Song tries to cheer the teens up quickly but it has the opposite effect.

"I know," Rin replies smirking intensely at the girl and the teens walk off, with Iroh in tow. As they walk past the courtyard gate they see a stable where a war ostrich is tethered. Zuko stops, looking at the animal, then looks back at the courtyard. "Don't even," Rin warns him stopping him in his tracks as she walks over to the house with Song and her mother still outside, she talks in a hushed tone with them and they nod happily at what she says, she bows to them then walks back over. "They agreed to give us the war ostrich." She tells them men and they walk over to the stable, Zuko stops, looking at the animal, and releases the ostrich then leads it away with them.

They get onto the back of the war ostrich then ride away out of the village as Song and her mother watch on a little crushed that they would not stay even for a little longer.

 **A/N: This is DeadGirlEternal here with the first chapter of the new story, I hope you liked it please comment on what you thought and I will be writing the next one right away so keep an eye out for it.**


	3. Forever Loyal

_"Water... Earth... Fire... Air…" Katara voices over as the benders demonstrate as she talks. "My grandmother used to tell me stories about the old days, a time of peace when the Avatar kept the balance between the Water Tribes, Earth Kingdom, Fire Nation, and Air Nomads. But that all changed when the Fire Nation attacked." It journeys into the map showing the world and closes in on a bender displaying all the elements. "Only the Avatar mastered all four elements. Only he could stop the ruthless firebenders. But when the world needed him most, he vanished." He disappears from sight. "A hundred years have passed and the Fire Nation is nearing victory in the war. Two years ago, my father and the men of my tribe journeyed to the Earth Kingdom to help fight against the Fire Nation, leaving me and my brother to look after our tribe." It shows the Water Tribe men on their boats and Katara hugging her older brother Sokka holding up a lantern. "Some people believe that the Avatar was never reborn into the Air Nomads and that the cycle is broken, but I haven't lost hope. I still believe that somehow the Avatar will return to save the world."_

 **Forever Loyal**

In the Earth Kingdom somewhere in the forest with the sun high in the sky as the three Fire Nation fugitives ride cautiously of their surroundings. "This is ridiculous, we've been travelling for three days," Rin complains as she holds onto Zuko's waist.

"We can't do anything about that, we need to move away from Azula." Zuko reasons, she knew that was the truth but three days would be enough, she was by ship and they were on land nowhere near water she could access.

"I have to agree with Rin, we should stop for a night." Iroh jumps in looking ahead as he had the reigns this time, so by definition was in charge.

"See, two former General's against one Prince." Rin teases him, gaining a little sour look before she kisses his cheek to get replaced with a bashful look.

"Fine, we can stop for the night." Zuko agrees, feeling played.

* * *

A battleship beside a beach, it is now nighttime and the full moon hangs overhead, the beach is filled with tents and populated with people from Azula's royal procession. Azula sits within her litter which rests atop the dais on the deck of her ship, she flanks on either side by Lo and Li., below them on the deck, a row of Fire Nation soldiers lie prostrate on either side of the ship. "When tracking your brother, uncle and Rin, travelling with a royal procession may no longer be an option…" Lo starts to explain.

"May no longer be wise… if you hope to keep the element of surprise." Li cuts into finish explaining.

"You're right. The royal procession is dead weight. If I want to catch my prey, I must be agile… nimble. I need a small, elite team. It's time to visit some old friends." Azula announces thinking about how she would take down Rin, this was really all she thought about after she had gotten fished out of the ocean by the soldiers after Rin had thrown her in.

* * *

A young woman walks in front of two Fire Nation guards, her expression emotionless, she has a large quantity of well kept coiffed black hair and her eyes are a light brown. "There really is no fathoming the depths of my hatred for this place," Mai says mostly to herself, as she walks next to an older woman carrying a baby, they are being escorted by Fire Nation guards down a passage.

"Mai, your father was appointed Governor. We're like royalty here. Be happy, and enjoy it." Her mother advises her not wanting to see her daughter this way. They exit the fortress passage emerging out into the open, the torches of the party can clearly be seen below. The party walks below where the end of one of Omashu's famous chutes.

The Earth Kingdom resistance fighters look down at the torches from their vantage point, then back at someone, in front of him are some rocks ready to drop down the chute. "The targets are approaching." One of the Resistance fighters announces as a bearded face Earthbender, his eyes obscured by his helmet.

"Take them out." The leader orders and below them walk Mai and her party.

"I thought my life was boring in the Fire Nation, Rin made it bearable with her training. But this place is unbearably bleak. Nothing ever happens." Mai complains distressed, wanting to see her friend again and away from this dullness.

The resistance fighter above launches the rocks into the tube which go crashing down at high speeds. Aang looks on with horror at the falling debris, then over at the party of people passing to his left that will soon be crushed by the falling debris. Aang with Katara and Sokka behind him stands just next to the bottom of the chute as the rocks enter from above. Mai and her party are just slightly below him on the plaza itself, the young Avatar raises his staff and pulverizes the rocks into pebbles and dust as it passes with a blast of air.

A few moments of silence pass as Mai looks at Aang and he looks back at her and the rest of her party. "The resistance!" Her mother shouts out pointing at Aang, this causes Mai to smile slightly and in an instant she fans out her arms, releasing a hail of small arrows. Aang sees them coming, dodging the arrows which embed themselves on the stack of construction material he stands on, as Aang, Katara and Sokka run out to the right, being pursued by Fire Nation soldiers, who climb up a couple of ladders from the plaza below. Katara turns around and uses the water from her waterskin, she whips them off of the ledge and onto the plaza below again.

Mai runs at Katara, her arms spread to either side, then she fires another hail of arrows from around her hand and forearm. Katara creates a wall of ice in front of her, stopping the arrows collision with her, Mai continues her pursuit as Katara flees from her. Aang lets Katara pass him as he turns to face Mai, as she approaches, Aang causes some construction scaffolding on his right to collapse between them. As the scaffolding collapses between them, Mai is able to get one, ornate throwing star through the falling debris. Aang twirls his staff in front of him stopping the throwing star just in time, the dust from the falling scaffolding clears, once again giving Mai a clear shot of the Avatar. She throws another hail of arrows, but the kids disappear through a large trap door which closes instantly above them, Mai sighs amidst the wreckage, turns around and walks away in almost disappointment.

* * *

In a grass area with mountains in the background sit some red and pink circus tents, with a few people working on finishing setting up tents and rolling barrels around. When Azula walks over to a young girl who is performing a headstand on her index fingers, the young girl is dressed in pink and red with a long black ponytail. "Ty Lee, could that possibly be you?" Azula asks feigning confusion when she has set out to find her friends.

"Azula!" Ty Lee greets her longtime friends smiling widely at her arrival. Ty Lee breaks her headstand with a couple of graceful moves, she prostrates herself on the ground, then runs giving Azula a bear hug, Azula smiles almost like she really is happy and returns the hug. "It is so good to see you, the only one I've seen is Rin, but that was a year ago!" She exclaims in joy of seeing her dear friend, inside Azula was fuming that Rin was all around, she hated the girl this grew every day as she kept thinking about how she was going to take her down. To become more powerful, to surpass her, even her own father praised her these thoughts went away as she had to keep a clear head for her mission to recruit her friends to take her brother, uncle and Rin down.

"Please, don't let me interrupt your…" Azula smiles at her then raises an eyebrow, searching for the right words but seems to fail. "Whatever it is you were doing." She finishes, but Ty Lee still smiles at her, then flips over backwards ending up lying on her chest, with one of her feet arched over in front of her head, the other pointing straight up into the air. In the background, three circus people try unsuccessfully to coax a platypus bear dressed in a red vest and wearing a fez to move. "Tell me, what is the daughter of a nobleman doing here? Certainly, our parents didn't send us to the Royal Fire Academy for Girls to end up in…" Azula asks her as she looks at the people trying to move the platypus bear still, she continues on, with a slight note of contempt in her voice. "Places like this." The platypus bears groan then gets up with a slight popping noise to reveal that it has laid an egg. "I have a proposition for you. I'm hunting a traitor." She explains looking at her wrist a tad absentmindedly, not wanting to right away tell her that her friend was also on the list. "You remember my old fuddy-duddy uncle don't you?" She asks her, Ty Lee still rests on her chest and elbows, but now with both feet planted on her head.

"Oh yeah. He was so funny." Ty Lee replies giggling remembering the times back then.

"I would be honoured if you would join me on my mission," Azula tells her, but she craved to make it an order knowing that it was a last resort as there were other means to get her way if she said no.

"Oh...I...uh...would love to." Ty Lee tells her before springing back to her feet in a single, fluid motion. "But the truth is, I'm really happy here." She smiles serenely. "I mean, my aura has never been pinker!"

"I'll take your word for it. Well, I wouldn't want you to give up the life you love just to please me." Azula tells her thinking the exact opposite of that statement.

"Thank you, Azula." Ty Lee says bowing slightly and clasps her hands in a gesture of thanks to her friends, thankful for her understanding. Azula walks away as Ty Lee turns around with a smile she raises her leg to her head in an impressive stretch, then Azula turns around to address her once more.

"Of course, before I leave, I'm going to catch your show," Azula tells her, this causes an expression of panic to spread over Ty Lee's face, which luckily for her is not facing Azula, and she loses her grip on her leg. She recovers herself and grips her leg once more, a sad and worried expression on her face now.

"Uh...yeah...sure...uh...of course…" Ty Lee stutters over her words in fear of what Azula would do and pray that Rin would save her from her and Azula walks away with satisfaction.

* * *

In the underground cavern under Omashu, it is filled with Earth Kingdom resistance fighters, the kids and the Resistance Leader stand on the ledge in front of the main exit tunnel from the room, which is lit by several lamps hanging from the walls. "So, is King Bumi with you guys? Is he heading the resistance?" Aang asks the Resistance Leader unaware of the answer.

"Of course not! The day of the invasion, we readied ourselves for battle. We were prepared to defend our city… to fight for our lives and for our freedom. But before we even had a chance, King Bumi surrendered. The traitorous Royal Advisor was found to be a Fire Nation spy, he knew all of this and still, he surrendered." The Resistance Leader states with great intensity. Aang looks clearly disconcerted with the news, Katara looks at him in concern on her face, this was not good.

* * *

 _King Bumi stands atop one of the city walls, the Royal Adviser and the Resistance Leader next to him. They all look in front of them as fireballs arch into the city overhead. "I'm going to do…" King Bumi announces turning his face to them. "Nothing!" He exclaims laughing and snort maniacally, the Royal Adviser walks behind him as he laughs._

 _"Perfect." She purrs and hits him over the head before Earthbending the Resistance Leader over down the side of the wall. "Our Fearless Leader will be pleased."_

* * *

On one of the balconies of the Governor's mansion, his wife and their baby son, Mai and some guards enter. "What is going on down there?" The Governor asks.

"I saw some kids yesterday who were sick with pentapox. It must have spread!" The guard announces.

"Pentapox! I'm pretty sure I've heard of that." The Governor agrees, unaware there was no such thing.

"Oh, this is terrible." His wife adds worriedly for her children.

"What should we do?" The guard asks the Governor.

"Drive them out of the city...but don't touch them! We have to rid the city of this disease!" The Governor orders them and the guards bow to him then leave. Mai offers her father a bowl of fire flakes she is carrying not to console him but to get his attention almost.

"Fire flakes, Dad?" She asks him but is ignored as his wife hugs him in comfort.

"How awful!" His wife gasps, as their baby unaware of them, toddles away from them, then the Royal Advisor walks over behind them.

"Do not worry, we shall still have Omashu." She purrs but not in a flirtatious way and walks over to Mai taking the bowl from her smirking at the emotionless girl.

* * *

The Royal Adviser walks along the empty halls up to the aviary to deliver a message to Rin telling her of the events so far but stops as a guard walks down the steps. "What brings you here?" The guard inquires with venom.

"I have a message to deliver to a friend of mine." She answers with half truths but the guard just pushes her down to the floor.

"Hey!" A female voice shouts out, they both turn their heads to see Mai walking towards them. "What right do you have to push her?" Mai asks him not wanting an answer.

"I'm sorry, it won't happen again." The guard replies and rushes away.

"Thank you, Mai." The Royal Adviser thanks her as Mai helps her back to her feet.

"It's quite alright," Mai replies but think for a second and can't think of her name. "May I ask what is your name?" She asks her.

"It's Shai." She answers thankful for her hood covering her face.

* * *

It was night in the grass area with a brightly lit circus tent, with some performers in two Chinese style dragon costumes. The dragons jump out to reveal the Circus Master addressed the crowd, with the circus' main ring behind him. "We're deeply honoured to have the Fire Lord's daughter at our humble circus." The Circus Master announces as Azula and two guards reside in a box seat high above him, richly decorated in Fire Nation lively as the rest of the circus looks empty. "Uh… tell us if there is anything we can do to make the show more enjoyable." He inquires.

"I will," Azula answers him when a net is stretched across the main circus ring, showing Ty Lee wearing colourful clothing and a golden tiara like headpiece doing a headstand using one hand holding a short stick. This stick, in turn, is balanced on top of what looks like the frame of a small tent, incredibly, this tent frame, in its turn, balances on a high wire. "Incredible. Do you think she'll fall?" Azula asks the Circus Master not really caring about her friend.

"Of course not." Circus Master answers her quickly.

"Then wouldn't it make it more interesting if you removed the net?" Azula asks him but more in an authority.

"Uh...the thing is...the performers…" The Circus Master tries reasoning concerned for his performers and regretted giving Azula that choice.

"You're right, you're right. That's been done." Azula dismisses and pauses for a second. "I know. Set the net on fire." She adds.

"Of course, Princess." The Circus Master agrees thinking that this was of lesser harm to his performers. He stands up and shoots a gout of flame at the net which promptly catches fire, the fire from the net reflects on Ty Lee's face as she still remains balanced on the high wire. Sweat pours down her unhappy face, as Azula and the Circus Master, who look up tensely towards Ty Lee, his fists balled into frustration.

"Brilliant, just brilliant!" She says looking down at the Circus Master. "Oooo, what kind of dangerous animals do you have?" She asks him.

"Well, our circus hosts the most exotic assortment…" The Circus Master begins to say.

"Release them all." She orders cutting him off. Ty Lee looks terrified, sweaty face as the sounds of wild animals erupt from within the tent.

* * *

At the Governor's palace, his wife sits in a chair on the balcony, sobbing at the loss of her baby boy, Mai stands next to her and offers her a handkerchief. "So, the resistance has kidnapped my son." The Governor demands. "Everything so clever, so tricky. Just like their king." He exasperates on the verge of rage.

"What do you want to do, sir?" A guard asks him, the Governor turns around and looks back out over the city with the full moon above it.

* * *

A bouquet of what looks like dead roses drop unceremoniously on a table, with Azula stands behind Ty Lee as she sits at her dressing table, the roses had been dumped on her dressing table. "What an exquisite performance. I can't wait to see how you'll top yourself tomorrow." Azula tells her as Ty Lee looks at her through the mirror's reflection.

"I'm sorry Azula, but unfortunately there won't be a show tomorrow." Ty Lee tells her.

"Really?" Azula asks her shocked.

"The universe has given me strong hints that it's time for a career change. I want to join you on your mission." Ty Lee says taking off her tiara, Azula looks satisfied with her answer to join her as she has gotten her way yet again.

* * *

Several Fire Nation guards carrying Azula's litter on their shoulder through one of Omashu's plazas. Azula sits in her litter, as Mai and the Royal Adviser stands at the foot of a large, white staircase, then the guards lower the litter to the ground in front of Mai and the Royal Adviser. Azula gets out from her litter and walks over to Mai and the Royal Adviser joined quickly by Ty Lee at her side. "Please tell me you're here to kill me," Mai asks her old friend in her dull voice after bowing to her, she looks up slightly and smiles as the Royal Adviser bows to the bratty Princess then leaves as Mai and Azula begin to laugh with one another.

"It's great to see you, Mai," Azula tells her hugging her and Ty Lee runs over to him joining in on hugging Mai.

"I thought you ran off and joined the circus? You said it was your calling." Mai asks her somewhat surprised at her friend being there.

"Well, Azula called a little louder." Ty Lee says releasing Mai and smiles widely.

"I have a mission and I need you both," Azula tells her putting one of her hands on each of their shoulders.

"Count me in. Anything to get me out of this place." Mai answers her quickly wanting out of Omashu.

"Another thing, who was the woman with you?" Azula questions her friend.

"That was the old Royal Adviser to the King. She has to stay here." Mai answers her looking at where the Royal Adviser had left, confused why Azula had asked about her.

* * *

Azula sits in the Governor's chair, flanked by guards, in front of her stands the Governor, his wife, the Royal Adviser and Azula's friends. "I apologize." The Governor tells her as he kneels on a red pillow, looking up at Azula, his hands held out before him in a pleading gesture. "You've come to Omashu at a difficult time. At noon we're making a trade with the resistance to get Tom-Tom back." He tells her.

"Yes, I'm so sorry to hear about your son," Azula says to him and crosses her legs in front of her, "but really, what did you expect by just letting all the citizens leave?" She asks him then she stands up, suddenly angry, and looks down upon him. "My father has trusted you with this city." She makes a slashing gesture with her left hand. "And you're making a mess of thing!" She shouts at him.

"Forgive us, Princess." The Royal Adviser tells her as the Governor prostrates himself. Azula walks between the Governor and her two friends as she looks down at him.

"You stay here," Azula orders him, as Mai and Ty Lee stand up behind her. "Mai will handle the hostage trade so you don't have a chance to mess it up." She tells him. "And there is no more 'Omashu'. I'm renaming it in honour of my father, the City of New Ozai." She adds even when not there she tries winning her father's affections.

* * *

Aang wearing his hat with Katara and Sokka at the bottom of the scaffolding of a huge statue that is under construction, each of them looks ahead with defiance as Sokka holds the baby. Mai, Azula and Ty Lee mount the platform, with Mai leading the group, the two groups face one another at opposite ends of the construction platform. A crane lowers a metal coffin suspended by a chain, inside is the laughing and snorting of King Bumi can be heard, as the coffin twists on the chain as he is visible through a porthole just large enough for his face. "Hi, everybody!" King Bumi greets, then the coffin lands standing straight up behind Mai and her friends.

"You brought my brother?" Mai asks them not really caring about it.

"He's here. We're ready to trade." Aang tells the other group.

"I'm sorry, but a thought just occurred to me. Do you mind?" Azula asks Mai as Bumi grins behind them all.

"Of course not, Princess Azula," Mai tells her turning towards her.

"We're trading a two-year-old for a king," Azula says turning to Bumi. "A powerful, Earthbending King." She adds and he smiles, closing his eyes and nods in agreement. "It just doesn't seem like a fair trade, does it?" She asks and Mai looks away from Azula towards her brother in Sokka's arms. Aang and Sokka stand, the baby cooing over Sokka's shoulder and Mai begins to walk forward.

"You're right." Mai agrees with her friend. "The deal's off." She tells Aang and raises her left hand and Bumi is lifted back off the ground as the chain is reeled in from above.

"Whhhoa! See you all later!" Bumi shouts out seeming to be enjoying himself as Aang, Katara and Sokka watch as he is hauled up as Bumi continues to laugh and snort.

"Bumi!" Aang shouts out to him, he then rushes forward towards Mai, Azula and Ty Lee, as he approaches Azula bends a plume of whitish blue fire at knee level towards Aang, who jumps high into the air to avoid it. He lands down on part of the partially constructed building and jumps off again, he opens his glider in mid-air, but loses his hat, exposing his tattoo. He grabs the hat with his mouth before it flies away, but it is too late, Azula immediately recognised him.

"The Avatar!" Azula exclaims in surprise as Aang spirals upwards with his glider, then Azula looks smug. "My lucky day." She smirks and runs over to the elevator winch and releases the break with a blast of blue fire. The winch begins to spin rapidly as Azula grabs one of the chains attached to the mechanism, the winch raises her rapidly toward the top of the construction scaffolding.

Aang lands atop of Bumi's metal coffin as it continues its ascent. "Aang, is that you? Where did you come from?" Bumi asks him.

"Hang on! We're gonna get you out of here." Aang tells him and he takes a deep breath and begins to blow onto the chain connecting the coffin to the crane, it slowly freezes.

Mai and Ty Lee charge at Katara and Sokka, several blades extend from Mai's right hand during that are shot of Katara and Sokka behind her watching the charge. Katara is in a Waterbending stance while Sokka blows on the bison whistle in the background. "We've got to get the baby out of here!" Katara orders her brother as he still holds the baby.

"Way ahead of ya! Sokka tells her after whistling for Appa with a smile on his face, the baby grabs a hold of the whistle, the Water Tribe siblings run to the edge of the construction platform. Suddenly, a fist punches Sokka's foot as he passes over a hole in the floor, he goes sprawling to the edge of the platform, but lands on his back to protect the baby.

Katara looks down the platform to Sokka and sees Ty Lee vault out of the trap door in the floor and heading towards Sokka and the baby. She creates a water whip and prepares to strike Ty Lee, but turns just in time to use the whip to raise up some wood from the floor to block the blades that Mai has just thrown at her. The blades bury themselves in the wooden plank, Katara then uses the whip to throw the piece of wood at Mai, then turns to catch Ty Lee's ankle with it. Ty Lee falls flat on the ground as Sokka climbs down a ladder with the baby, in the background, Katara whips Mai away once again as Sokka slides down the ladder and runs off below with the baby.

* * *

Bumi and Aang still being raised with the metal coffin and Aang continues to blow on the chain of the coffin. "Aang, stop your blowing for a minute," Bumi tells him and the chain is now encased in the ice where it meets the chain. In the background, an explosion of dust announces the arrival of Princess Azula, the top of the construction scaffolding and the metal coffin to which it is now adjacent to one another. Azula jumps high into the air after having been carried up at high speed by the mechanical energy of the winch below, she reaches the height of her arc, she unleashes a blast of blue fire from her foot at Aang. He's still on top of the metal coffin as the blast comes towards him, he partially deflects it with his staff, but the chain holding them breaks. "Now hold on just a -" He begins to say and the chain breaks apart and they fall, he shouts out at the sudden motion. Azula watches the coffin fall, Aang atop the falling metal coffin as they are about to hit one of Omashu's chutes, he creates a huge airball that deflects their fall and they land in the chute and begin to ride it down.

Azula watches from a perch high above, she scowls jumping into a nearby box, which falls into a nearby chute following after them as Aang surfs atop Bumi's metal coffin as it rockets down the chute. "Just like old times, isn't it, Bumi?" he asks his friend smiling and laughing.

"Aang, I need to talk to you!" Bumi yells out to him.

"It's good to see you too!" Aang yells back not understanding because of the noise they were making, he looks up to see Azula riding a box in another chute just above them. He begins to twirl his staff rapidly to dissipate the blue fire bolts that are being rapidly fired at them by the Princess, their chutes merge and Azula is now behind them. Aang launches a gale at her, but she parts it with her hands steepled in front of her, she follows, launching more fire blasts at him, finally, they enter a portion of the chute that has arches over it at short intervals. Aang blasts at them with wind and they come tumbling down on the chute between Azula and him with Bumi still in his coffin, Azula still riding atop the box, they both disappear as they enter the dust cloud of the fallen arches. The box emerges from the other side just without Azula atop, Aang breathes a sigh of relief, but soon screams as she stands up from where she had been crouching in the box. She launches another blue blast of fire at the Avatar, but he ducks out of the way avoiding the flame.

* * *

Katara faces Mai on the construction platform, she whips Mai but misses as Mai leans back to avoid the water. As she leans back, Mai launches another blade from one of her devices, this one around her ankle, but Katara blocks it with a wall of ice. Mai charges towards Katara, her arms sweeping back behind her in a herringbone formation, as she approaches, Katara encases Mai's arm in water then freezes it but Mai tries breaking the ice with her free hand but fails.

Ty Lee jumps up onto the platform and bounds towards Katara, she systematically jobs various pressure points on Katara's body, apparently causing her whip to fall to the ground, useless, and the ice around Mai's arm melts away. Ty Lee jumps over to stand next to Mai, Katara recovers and assumes another Waterbending stance trying to raise the water from the platform, but very little happens, the girls both wait for Katara to do something.

"How are you gonna fight without your bending?" Mai taunts her as she pulls out another blade from her robe, this one has three pointed devices that unfold into a talon shaped throwing star. Katara gasps in fear as Mai gets ready to throw, as she does, Sokka's boomerang comes from behind Mai knocking the star out of her hand.

Sokka comes around atop Appa, who catches his boomerang in hand. "I seem to manage!" Sokka shouts out to her answering her earlier questions as they land between Katara and her would be killers. Appa's tail comes down in a huge arc, smashing the platform in behind him, throwing Mai and Ty Lee way back and making a huge hole in the floor.

Sokka and Katara are now atop Appa flying away, she looks to her left finding the young Avatar still on the move, she points him out. "There's Aang!" She exclaims.

"We can catch him!" He tells her as the chute where Aang and Azula are battling clearly visible below them.

* * *

Azula throws more blasts of her blue fire ahead of her towards Aang, he deflects them with his staff as Appa and the others pull up alongside. "Hang on, Bumi! Our ride's here!" Aang announces to his old friend and strikes the side of the chute with his staff, launching the metal coffin out of the chute. Katara and Sokka try to grab the coffin as it passes overhead, but they miss it and the coffin sails over Appa falling down to the other side. Bumi screams on the way down and they land crosswise on another chute and break right through it. They fall through to another chute, this time landing lengthwise and they begin to slide down once more.

Azula continues to pursue them in her box and creates a circular saw blade of blue fire then launches it at the metal coffin. As it approaches, Bumi strains in his bonds causing a pillar of Earth to rise up through the chute in time to absorb the blast. Azula jumps out of her box just as it impacts on the pillar of Earth, she slides to a halt in the chute, looking very displeased as she watches Aang and Bumi slide away.

Meanwhile, Bumi's metal coffin begins to plane out as it reaches the bottom of the chute. "You could Earthbend all along?" Aang asks him astonished at this fact.

"Well, they didn't cover my face," Bumi remarks and strains again within his bonds, and an outcropping of rock appears, the metal coffin hits it as it exits the chute ending up standing straight up on the newly raised rock with Aang now looking up at Bumi in his coffin.

"I don't understand," Aang says getting angry at his old friend. "Why didn't you free yourself? Why did you surrender when Omashu was invaded? What's the matter with you, Bumi!?" He questions becoming rapid fire.

"Listen to me, Aang. There are options in fighting, called jin. It's a choice of how you direct your energy." Bumi tells him.

"I know!" Aang says holding up his fingers as he counts them off. "There's positive jin when you're attacking, and negative jin when you're retreating." He adds.

"And neutral jin when you do nothing!" Bumi adds.

"There are _three_ jins?" Aang asks him startled by this, looking at his hand which now has three fingers raised.

"Well, technically there are eighty-five. But, let's just focus on the third. Neutral jin is the key to Earthbending. It involves listening and waiting for the right moment to strike." Bumi tells him.

"That's why you surrendered, isn't it?" Aang questions him with dawning understanding.

"Yes, and it's why I can't leave now," Bumi informs his dear friend, Aang looks down and turns away, clearly sad and disappointed.

"I guess I need to find someone else to teach me Earthbending," Aang states, upset that his old friend will not teach him.

"Your teacher will be someone who has mastered neutral jin You need to find someone who waits and listen before striking," Bumi advises him and Momo jumps onto Aang shoulder and begins chittering.

"Hey, Momo!" Aang greets his furry friend.

"Momo's mastered a few jins himself!" Bumi announces who looks at Bumi and screams. "Goodbye, Aang. I'll see you when the time is right." He says before leaning back and his metal coffin tumbles backwards onto the chute. The mad king laughs maniacally, Bumi uses his Earthbending to drive his coffin back up the chute. Aang looks on at the now empty chute where his friend used to be with Appa and the others appearing behind him.

* * *

As Azula's litter is driven out of the city, she sits in her litter, partially obscured by the litter veil, her friends walking beside her. "So, we're tracking down your brother and Uncle along with RIn, huh? Mai asks her, not wanting to harm her dear friend Rin, who she had spent most of her happier memories with when RIn wasn't away on the battlefield.

"It'll be interesting seeing RIn and Zuko again, won't it Mai?" Ty Lee asks her, unknowing of the relationship blooming between Zuko and Rin, but Azula looks at them even then she knew that it was inevitable that they would side with RIn. Mai turns sideways, looking away hiding her brief smile before looking ahead again.

"It's not just Zuko, Iroh and Rin anymore. We have a third target now." Azula announces

* * *

Aang peeps over the balcony to the Governor holds his wife on the patio below where Aang is hiding, it is night now or just past dusk. Aang glides silently down from above and releases the baby, who toddles over to his saddened parents. Aang departs not wanting to be caught as silently as he came as the baby is greeted with overwhelming joy. "Tom-Tom!" The Governor's wife gasps at the sight of her baby and Aang watches from the roof with a smile before flying away.

* * *

During all of that, the Royal Adviser or Shai runs to the aviary to deliver a new message this time uninterrupted by any guards, she sends the messenger hawk to Rin, hoping it reaches her in time for her to ready for the oncoming fight she will face with both the Princess and her friends.

* * *

The three Fire Nation fugitives make camp in a forest area, Iroh already asleep snoring keeping Zuko and Rin awake. "How can I sleep with that!?" Zuko whisper-shouts to Rin who looks up at the night sky.

"Let's go for a walk," Rin suggests, getting up from the ground waiting for Zuko to join her, he too gets up taking her hand in his.

They walk around the dark forest with Rin casting a flame in her hand to keep light as they walk, the flame begins to shape into a dragon, flying around them. "Could you teach me how to do that?" Zuko asks her, she looks at him with confusion at first then sees what she was doing and nods her head.

"Sure I-" She is interrupted by a hawk shrieking above them, they look to the night sky to see a hawk flying above them. "That's Shai's hawk." She announces and whistles gaining the bird of prey's attention, she holds out her arm as it rests on and takes the message on its leg. She opens up the message and reads it then looks up at Zuko. "Seems your sister has recruited Ty Lee and Mai." She tells him, he looks at her in shock to the news and Rin takes the note and begins writing on the end for Shai to join them in Ba-Sing-Se as they would need their help.

"What are you doing?" He asks her, she finishes writing and puts the message back on the hawk's leg and sets it free to return to Shai with the message.

"Shai is going to join us in Ba-Sing-Se, once we get there are refugees, she's visited before but as the Royal Adviser to King Bumi but they've never seen her face." She explains, he looks at her even now she thought of battle plans even before the fight, he admired that about her, she thought things through. "Come on, let's try getting some sleep." She tells him and they head back to the campsite where Iroh still snoring loudly, they get themselves comfortable and soon sleep did follow.


	4. Do You Have Questions?

This is DeadGirlEternal here, I was thinking of you readers and wondered if you had any questions about the story or maybe some suggestions for this story. If you do I'll help to answer as best as I can without revealing too much so please let me know.


	5. Lonely But Never Alone

_"Water... Earth... Fire... Air…" Katara voices over as the benders demonstrate as she talks. "My grandmother used to tell me stories about the old days, a time of peace when the Avatar kept the balance between the Water Tribes, Earth Kingdom, Fire Nation, and Air Nomads. But that all changed when the Fire Nation attacked." It journeys into the map showing the world and closes in on a bender displaying all the elements. "Only the Avatar mastered all four elements. Only he could stop the ruthless firebenders. But when the world needed him most, he vanished." He disappears from sight. "A hundred years have passed and the Fire Nation is nearing victory in the war. Two years ago, my father and the men of my tribe journeyed to the Earth Kingdom to help fight against the Fire Nation, leaving me and my brother to look after our tribe." It shows the Water Tribe men on their boats and Katara hugging her older brother Sokka holding up a lantern. "Some people believe that the Avatar was never reborn into the Air Nomads and that the cycle is broken, but I haven't lost hope. I still believe that somehow the Avatar will return to save the world."_

 **Lonely But Never Alone**

The sun shines down in an Earth Kingdom village by a bridge over one of the nearby streams as people bearing backpacks and other loads walk back and forth over the bridge, either entering or departing the village.

Iroh, Zuko and Rin sit on straw mats, their ostrich horse behind them, Iroh holds out his hat in his hand and a cart festooned with masks for sale passes briefly in front of them. Two of the masks are the Blue and Purple Spirit masks, as the cart passes, another pedestrian walks in front of Iroh, he holds out his hat to the pedestrian and speaks to him. "Spare coins for weary travellers?" Iroh asks the pedestrian, the man throws a few copper coins into his hat, Zuko turns in anger.

"This is humiliating! We're royalty and of high rank. These people should be giving us whatever we want." Zuko protests getting frustrated with their situation.

"They will - if you ask nicely," Iroh tells him, looking at Rin who holds Zuko back by his shoulder as several more pedestrians pass, a well dressed young woman walks past them next. "Spare change for a hungry old man?" He asks in a fake weak voice.

"Aww." She gushes producing a coin from her sleeve and puts it in his hat. "Here you go." She says.

"The coin is appreciated, but not as much as your smile." Iroh complements her, this causes Zuko to slap his forehead in frustration, the girl giggles and walks away. A man carrying a pair of broadswords on his back wanders by them in the opposite direction as the girl, he stops and addresses them.

"How about some entertainment in exchange…" The man asks them smiling cruelly as he holds out a gold coin. "A gold piece."

"We're not performers." Zuko snaps but Iroh smiles putting his hat on the ground.

"Not professional, anyway." Iroh corrects and stands up clasping his hands together, then begins to sing. "It's a long, long way to-" He begins to sing and shifts from one foot to another as he rocks back and forth.

"Come on! We're talking a gold piece." The man argues seeming displeased and whips out one of his broadswords then the other. "Let's see some action from the girl!" He says looking at Rin with hunger. Zuko's eyes burn with rage at the look the man is giving Rin. "Dance!" He orders pointing the sword at Rin, she looks at him and gets up to her feet. She walks over to the man with an emotionless expression before squaring him off and a flirtatious smile breaks out on her lips, he seems entranced by her eyes as he tries to lean in closer to her, she takes one of the broadswords from him. The man snaps out of it looking in shock at her then it turns to anger as she raises it to his throat.

"How was that?" She taunts him, he looks at her then tosses the coin towards Iroh and walks away after Rin gives him back his sword but not his dignity. She walks back to the men and sits behind the enraged Prince calming him down. Iroh look at Rin seeing her calm his brash nephew and thankful that they had found one another as he did every day that they were happy.

"Such a kind man!" Iroh jests smiling at the young couple.

"I think he was, he gave me an idea," Rin says and smirks as she gets back up away from Zuko, who looks lost.

"And what idea is that?" Zuko asks her not understanding and looks to his uncle who too looks lost.

"Well to fight of course." She answers, turning to face them. "We find a fighting club or something else, betting for a poor defenceless girl against strong men, who do you bet on?" She asks them, the men look at each other and too smile in understanding.

It was night now in the Earth Kingdom village, the man with the broadswords from earlier walks down a street alone. He hears something behind him, he turns around drawing his blades in fear of whatever caused the noise but there is nothing there. "Who's there?" He asks in darkness but there is no reply, hands grab at his disarming him and throwing the swords against some nearby boxes, his swords on the ground useless. His attacker approaches the swords and picks them up, it is the Blue Spirit, the man runs away but doesn't get too far when another attacker approaches him pushing him to the ground, he turns his head to see it's the Purple Spirit, she raises her foot that holds him down. He looks at the Purple Spirit, in confusion but doesn't question her and runs away as the Blue Spirit joins her side.

* * *

In an arena a man takes a swing but just punches the air as his opponent moves out of the way, they turn around to kick at the man to see that it's Rin, all around them are men and women shouting at them throwing money around as the two fight in the arena. "Come on," Rin taunts the large man. He runs towards her but she jumps into the air kicking out at him making a hit to his face, he takes the hit but not before she lands a punch to his face, he falls down to the floor with a loud thud. The crowd all shout out to her as she walks out walking over to one man with his hand out to her giving her money. "Cheers." She smiles and walks away out of the underground fighting ring she had found and makes her way to the cave they were staying in.

* * *

Somewhere in the town, a man and woman walk down a deserted street, the man carries two baskets suspended by a pole across his back. A shadow passes by, then the Blue Spirit appears in front of the couple, his swords drawn, he cuts the baskets away from the terrified man, scooping them up and running away.

* * *

The Blue Spirit climbs over a log with his baskets of loot, Zuko back to being clad in green places the mask inside the hollow of a tree and makes his way to the cave.

Iroh sits cross-legged waiting for the two teens within the cave when Zuko throws the baskets of loot in front of him. "Where did you get these?" Iroh questions his nephew worried for him,

"What does it matter where they came from?" Zuko responds walking away not wanting to answer his questions. But Iroh just looks at him then hums to himself before eating the food and smiles at it as pink goo drips from his mouth and again he hums but in delight of the food. "Where is Rin?" Zuko asks worried for her.

"She should be back by now." Iroh replies and just as he finishes that a large bag of coins lands between them, they turn their heads to see Rin walking into the cave.

"That was exhausting." She groans and walks over to Zuko hugging him around his waist with a sigh of contempt.

* * *

An armoured wagon with a small trailer pulled by a horse ostrich travels through the forest, inside the armoured wagon, a plump merchant looks at an open cash box with glee. He plays with the coins when suddenly, the carriage jolts as it comes to a sudden stop, the merchant's hat falls off and he grabs his cash box protectively. He looks around in alarm of his surrounded then closes and locks the cash box as if it would save his life as he begins to sweat.

After a few moments of nothing, he breathes a sigh of relief, then a broadsword blade slices through the roof, it slices back and forth. Then a fist appears as it smashes a hole through the damaged roof, through the hole the Blue Spirit can be seen atop the carriage. The merchant offers the box with his eyes closed to the Blue Spirit and he grabs it from his hands when he takes a look the Blue Spirit is gone and the driver is knocked out beside the carriage and the horse ostrich is gone.

* * *

In the cave, Zuko sits by the crackling fire as Rin lays her head in his lap but not sleeping with Iroh watching them where he stands. " Looks like you did some serious shopping," Iroh comments as he walks around the fire and sits down, inspecting a golden teapot in front of him. "But where did you get the money?" He asks his nephew.

"Do you like your new teapot?" Zuko asks him evading the question.

"To be honest with you, the best tea tastes delicious whether it comes in a porcelain pot or a tin cup," Iroh replies and walks over to Zuko and Rin who lies with his back to the opposite wall of the cave. "I know we've had some difficult times lately. We've had to struggle just to get by." He puts his hand on Zuko's shoulder in a gesture of comfort for him to know they all felt the same. "But it's nothing to be ashamed of. There is a simple honour in poverty." He tells him.

"There's no honour for me without the Avatar." Zuko protests trying to keep his calm around Rin as she was trying to sleep to keep her strength.

"Zuko..." Iroh sighs. "Even if you did capture the Avatar, I'm not so sure it would solve our problems. Not now." He warns him trying to keep him safe even if it was from himself.

"Then there is no hope at all," Zuko replies abruptly startling Rin, his face changes to one of sorrow and shock, she had heard him and he regretted his words immediately. She bows her head not being able to see her face and gets to her feet and leaves the cave quickly, Zuko follows suit wanting to correct things with her.

"No, Zuko! You must never give into despair. Allow yourself to slip down that road and you surrender to your lowest instincts. In the darkest times, hope is something you give yourself. That is the meaning of inner strength." Iroh gives him some advice quickly before he runs off to find Rin and he looks back at his uncle for a moment, the get up to leave and walks out of the cave to find her.

* * *

Rin walks in the forest as she collects her thoughts on what Zuko had said earlier, she hears the sound of dead leaves crunching on the ground, she knew it was Zuko he always seems to make an entrance. "I love you." She hears him whisper, she hadn't expected that from him, she snaps around to face him shock evident on her face.

"What did you say?" She questions him looking at him, he was serious, she knew that but it still shocked her.

"I love you, when I said there was no hope at all, I regretted the minute it left my mouth. I do have hope. I have you, Rin Yuu in my life that is enough hope, but I want to go home with you and uncle." Zuko explains herself, she looks at him and in her own girly moment, she rushes into his arms crying into his shoulder.

"I love you too," She cries into him, she gets muffled by the fabric of his shirt as he wraps his arms around her waist. "I know you want to find the Avatar, and I'll help you to get your honour back anyway, I promise." She tells him drying her eyes, he puts his hand to cheek wiping her tears with his thumb. "I hate crying, I look weak." She mumbles, she was a soldier her whole life, she had never been seen as weak before and hated it more being seen weak.

"I don't see you as weak, I promise you. My hope." He tells her and pulls her into his chest.

* * *

In the cave, Zuko stands behind Iroh. "Uncle, I thought a lot about what you said," Zuko tells him making himself known, and Iroh turns his head towards him seeing Rin holding onto him for what seemed like her lifeline.

"You did? Good, good." Iroh replies seemingly pleased with this.

"It's helped me realise something. We no longer have anything to gain by travelling together. We need to find our own way." He tells his uncle without malice in his voice, but does not hesitate in telling him, he looks down slumping slightly in sadness as his nephew and Rin pick up their packs and begin to walk away.

"Wait!" Irho calls out to them and leads over their horse ostrich and places the reigns in his nephew's hands. Zuko looks back at his uncle once more, before they leave Rin hugs the old man and whispers her thanks and promises to look out for Zuko and that he will do the same. They get onto the horse ostrich with Zuko taking the reigns and Rin on the back hugging his waist then they gallop away out of sight to find the Avatar.

* * *

Zuko and Rin ride on their horse ostrich under a cloudy sky, Zuko looks sullen as does Rin as they ride off.

* * *

They ride the horse ostrich over a rope suspension bridge but it puts a food through one of the planks and almost loses its balance, Rin acts quickly to right the animal as it was her turn to ride to Zuko some rest and they continue crossing the bridge.

* * *

Sometime later, they stop and Zuko helps Rin down from the ostrich but stops as she feels are only a few inches from the ground as he smells something. He looks to see two people in Earth Kingdom clothing around a campfire, he sees the food they are cooking and looking to Rin to see her clutching her stomach in hunger. They had been riding for what seemed like days and had no time to stop, he moves his hand to the hilt of his two broadswords, a man approaches his pregnant wife who reclines against a tree, the man rubs her belly and smiles at her.

* * *

Seeing this Zuko releases his grip on his sword and lowers his eyes in resignation and moves back to Rin to see her arms open for him. He picks her up mounting her back onto the ostrich and gets on himself worried if she will last much longer.

* * *

Zuko and Rin ride across a field almost falling asleep in the saddle and Rin takes a drink from the waterskin and gives some to him there is now none left. They continue to ride into the horizon, the landscape is a grassy field strewn with huge, circular shaped stones with squares cut from the middle and nay are embedded in the earth.

* * *

Zuko's eyes have grown heavy as he fights back sleep while Rin rests her eyes, he sees blurriness but fights back sleep, jerking himself awake a few times. He has a momentary vision of a beautiful woman with dark hair wearing visible Fire Nation clothing, but he wakes with a start, he turns his head to see Rin still sleeping and prays for their safety.

* * *

Zuko on his mount looks at a village with busy streets in the distance, Rin opens her eyes half way so weak for food, this worried Zuko that she would not make it and was scared for her not for himself because if he lost her he would lose himself. She was his hope.

* * *

They enter the village still on their mount, they ride up to a stall near some soldiers, the soldier stands up; his eyes follow the sound of the arriving horse ostrich and he turns slightly towards the newcomers. Zuko offers a merchant in the stall a few coins, as he looks at Rin in worry for her health as she was growing paler. "Could I get some water, a bag of feed, and something hot to eat?" Zuko asks not caring if he got food, he knew Rin was so come first.

"Not enough for a hot meal. I can get you two bags of feed." The Merchant says not looking at them but looks up to them, his eyes snap over to Rin to see a strand of her blond hair fall out of her hood. "Sorry, I miss counted. Enough for water, a bag of feed and two hot meals." He says and comes back with them. "Take good care of Vitae." He adds Zuko looks at him in confusion not knowing the name he had given Rin but nodded his head.

Zuko watches Rin eat the food, he turns to look at the gambling soldiers looking back at him, the soldiers turn back to their game as Zuko looks to the side of the stall they stand in front of. He hears the sound of children laughing and a few kids peek from around the corner of the stall, at the side one of the kids hands his friend an egg, who throws it at one of the gambling soldiers. It hits a soldier on the head and the kids run off, the soldier, the soldiers get up and look over seeing Zuko and Rin's back to them and the street otherwise empty. "Hey1" The soldier shouts as him and his friends approach them from behind. "You throwing eggs at us, strangers?" He asks not very nicely.

"No." Zuko answers.

"You see who did throw it?" He asks them rudely.

"No," Rin answers them as they turn around and Zuko puts his hand on his sword hilt.

"That's your favourite word, no?" Another soldier asks them.

"Egg had to come from somewhere." The First soldier accuses them.

"Maybe a chicken flew over." Zuko remarks turning back to the merchant. One of the soldiers starts laughing, but a look from the first soldier silences him, the merchant appears and drops a bag of feed onto the counter and the first soldier grabs it throwing it to one of his men.

"Thanks for your contribution. The army appreciates your support. You better leave town. The penalty for staying is a lot steeper than you can afford, strangers." The first soldier taunts them, as he taps the war hammer hanging from his belt. "Trust me." He and his men walk away leaving the two teen and the merchant standing behind them at his stall.

"Those soldiers are supposed to protect us from the Fire Nation, but they're just a bunch of thugs." The merchant comments.

"It will get better one day," Rin tells him giving him their bowls back and they walk back over to their mount. A bright-eyed boy appears on the other side of the horse ostrich as they are about to hop up.

"Thanks for not ratting me out." The boy thanks them, Rin gets on taking the reigns and Zuko gets on back and they start riding away. The boy looks surprised, then a smile on his face and he follows them, they ride off with the boy holding the horse ostrich's bridle. "I'll take you to my house and feed your horse ostrich for you. Come on, I owe you." The Boy tells them and he leads them away.

* * *

The road leading up to a farm, with a variety of pigs oinking and making noise all around them and the noise, picks up as they pass the animals. "No one can ever sneak up on us." The boy boasts.

"No kidding," Zuko replies as the boy leads the ostrich and the teens look to their right, a rooster sheep atop a fence pole to his left and it crows at them, a man enters their eyesight but only his back is visible at first.

"You a friend of Lee's?" The man asks the boy named Lee, at this question Lee runs out of the barn near them and addresses the man in an excited tone.

"They just stood up to the soldiers! By the end, they practically had them running away." He praises the strangers, a woman walks over, she is dressed in simple green, as are her husband and son.

"Do they have a name?" The woman asks them in a friendly manner.

"I'm, uh…" Zuko tries to answer her.

"They don't have to say who they are if they don't want to, Sela. Anyone who can hold his own against those bully 'soldiers' is welcome here." The father says, with his arm around his wife and son. "Those men should be ashamed to wear Kingdom uniform."

"The real soldiers are off fighting the war, like Lee's big brother Sen Su. Supper's going to be ready soon. Would you like to stay?" Sela asks them.

"We can't. We should be moving on." Rin answers.

"Gansu could use some help on the barn. Why don't you two work for a while, and I could use some help around the house, then we'll eat." Sela suggests the two teens nod at her suggestion.

Zuko and Gansu are atop of the barn, they nail the roof shingles to frame, near them Lee stands at the top of the ladder using to access the barn's roof. He watches his father and the nameless stranger working, Zuko is on his knees using both hands to hammer in a nail, Lee's upper body visible behind him poking up over the edge of the roof. "You don't seem like you're from around here." Lee comments and Zuko replies not so sure of how to reply, he wasn't good at lying, unlike Rin. "Where are you from then?" He asks.

"Far away," Zuko answers vaguely as he couldn't lie or anything.

"Lee, give it a rest. Stop asking the man personal questions, got it?" Gansu tells his son not wanting any distractions from their work.

"Yes." Lee sighs dejectedly then brighten up. "So, how did you get that scar?" He asks Zuko causing him to slam the hammer into his thumb at the question and stifles a cry of pain through gritted teeth.

"It's not nice to bother people able things they might not want to talk about. A man's past is his business." Gansu warns his son as Zuko looks up, lost in a memory and begins to hammer once again with a look of fierce determination on his face, as he drops the hammer for the third time a memory flash into his head. At first, it's hazy and somewhat washed out and the scenery looks slightly faded as he begins to come into focus.

* * *

 _The memory begins with a pool of water when a hand with long fingernails touches the surface of the pool. A Fire Nation red robe adorns the arm to which it is attached, the person pulls her hand out of the water and opens her palm to reveal some small bits of food. A baby turtle duck swims over and squawks, it is fuzzy except where it is covered by its shell and eats the offered food._

 _In the garden in which the pool is located, it is a sheltered compound and very beautiful two figures sit by the pool, though their features are difficult to see at this distance, a woman and the other a little boy perhaps eight or ten._

 _The young boy is Prince Zuko and his mother Fire Lady Ursa, in front of them in the pond hovers our baby turtle ducks, hoping for more food and Zuko holds a stone in his hand. "Hey mom, want to see how Azula feeds turtle ducks?" He asks his mother and he throws the rock at one of the baby turtle ducks, which disappears beneath the surface of the pool._

" _Zuko!" Ursa exclaims in shock. "Why would you do that?" She asks him as the baby turtle duck bobs back up to the surface unhurt; his shell seems to have protected him from the rock. The baby blinks and shakes his head as the mother swims over making sure that the baby is okay, once she was sure, she swerves then attacks Zuko loudly. She jumps out of the pond and bites Zuko's food, the young Prince yells out in pain and Ursa removes the angry mother turtle duck and drops her back into the pond. The mother turtle duck swims away with one final squawk of protest, with her babies in tow._

" _Stupid turtle-duck, why'd she do that?" Zuko asks hugging his knees looking sullen as his mother sits next to him._

" _Zuko, that's what mums are like," Ursa tells him putting her arms around her son. "If you mess with their babies, they'll bite you back." She says making a biting sound of effect and she hugs him while he laughs._

 _In the courtyard in the palace, with a younger Azula and Ty Lee, Azula sets up for a cartwheel, she makes several successful flips but falls at the end but when Ty Lee executes the move flawlessly and with incredible grace. She lands on her feet, but in jealousy Azula knocks her over and laugh at her, pointing at the fallen girl at her feet. "Azula!" Ty Lee cries out as a younger Mai sits with her back to a tree, she looks to her left to see Zuko and his mother walking down the path across the courtyard passing two old soldiers and a young girl with blond high ponytails but they never made eye contact or even looked at each other as they pass. She looks away from the young Prince, her cheeks blushing red and a small smile stealing across her face and unfortunate for her Azula notices this._

" _Watch this," Azula whispers to Ty Lee and she runs over to catch her mother and brother as Ty Lee laughs quietly. Mum, can you make Zuko play with us? We need equal teams to play a game." She asks her mother._

" _I am not cartwheeling," Zuko replies not wanting to play with his evil sister._

" _You won't have to. Cartwheeling's not a game." Azula argues looking at him as if he were stupid "Dumb, dumb." She says under her breath._

" _I don't care. I don't want to play with you." Zuko retorts not wanting to play or be made to play._

" _We are brother and sister," Azula replies her voice becoming sickly sweet. "It's important for us to spend time together. Don't you think so, mum?" She asks._

" _Yes darling, I think it's a good idea to play with your sister. Go on now," She fluffs his head a few time. "Just for a little while," Ursa tells him and walks off, leaving Zuko behind as Azula picks an apple hanging from a tree in the courtyard as she begins to speak._

" _Here's the way it goes," Azula announces to the others and places the apple onto Mai's head. "Now what you do is try to knock the apple off the other person's head. Like this." She says with Mai with an apple atop her head looks at her friends with an unhappy look on her face as usual. Azula then fires a blast at an apple, whose stem catches on fire, Mai looks at her surprised as Zuko instantly springs to action to save the girl he thinks is in danger and Azula looks on smugly._

 _Zuko stampedes over to Mai who he thinks is in danger and jumps her, knocking the burning apple off of her head, but also knocks them both into the pool behind them, "See, I told you it would work." Azula says to Ty Lee._

" _Aw, they're so cute together." Ty Lee swoons._

" _You two are such...ugh!" Mai groans in frustrations at her friends getting up from the pool as Zuko walks off. Ursa comes out of one of the buildings as Zuko walks over dripping water as she begins to speak._

" _I was just coming to get you. Uncle Iroh sent us a letter from the waterfront." Ursa says. "You're soaking wet." She states looking down at her down._

" _Girls are crazy!" Zuko exclaims with a gesture of frustration._

 _The memory changes to Ursa holding a letter scroll spread open in the foreground, with Zuko and Azula on either side as she reads. "'If the city is as magnificent as its wall, Ba-Sing-Se must be something to behold. I hope you all may see it someday if we don't burn it to the ground first.'" They laugh at the comment from Iroh. "'Until then, enjoy these gifts. For Zuko,'" At the mention of his name he runs over picking up a dagger offered by a servant on a tray. "'A pearl dagger from the General who surrendered when we broke through the outer wall. Note the inscription.'" Zuko unsheathes the dagger looking at it. "'And the superior craftsmanship.'"_

"' _Never give up without a fight.'" Zuko reads the inscription as Azula stands in front of another servant with a tray and offers her something on it._

"' _And for Azula, a new friend. She wears the latest fashion for Earth Kingdom girls.'" Ursa reads the letter, as she speaks, Azula picks up the doll wearing Earth Kingdom green and she makes a face of disgust._

" _If Uncle doesn't make it back from the war, then dad would be in line to be Fire Lord wouldn't he?" Azula asks as Zuko runs around practising with his new dagger._

" _Azula, we don't speak that way. It would be awful if Uncle Iroh didn't return. And besides, Fire Lord Azulon is a picture of health." Ursa says to her daughter disappointed in her._

" _How would you like it if cousin Lu Ten wanted dad to die?" Zuko asks her._

" _I still think our dad would make a much better Fire Lord than his royal tea loving kookiness," Azula says looking at the doll in her hand with disdain and holds out the door making its head burst into flames making his come out of memory lane._

* * *

It now nighttime, Zuko sleeps with Rin on some hay in the barn, the door opens with Lee entering sneaking in trying to be quiet and takes his broadswords but Zuko detects this and awakens. He turns to see next to him Rin fast asleep her blond hair fanned over the pillow she'd made of hay, he moves a strand of hair from her face before taking off to get his broadsword back.

* * *

He finds Lee practising with the swords in a field nearby, the boy falls backwards and get surprised when Zuko speaks. "You're holding them all wrong," Zuko tells him, Lee gets up, a sunflower decorating his head and looks ashamed offering the swords back to Zuko but instead of taking them, he puts his hands over the boys. "Keep in mind, these are dual swords," Zuko tells him taking the swords and begins to demonstrate moves for the boy. "Two halves of a single weapon. Don't think of them as separate, because they're not. They're just two different parts of the same whole." He gives the swords back to Lee and the boy practices a bit, then looks back at Zuko, his arms folded and he has an uncharacteristic smile on his face and the boy laughs.

* * *

They walk down a path, with a full moon hanging over their heads. "I think you'd like my brother Sen Su. He used to show me stuff like this all the time." Lee tells Zuko, as they continue walking and separate Zuko goes into the barn to see Rin still fast asleep.

* * *

It was daytime at the farm and some of the animals make their usual noises, Zuko gets onto his and Rin's mount which she already was on and the family is there to see them off and Sela offers them a package. "Here. this ought to get you through a few meals." She tells them, a sound can be heard in the distance, they look up to see dust rising down the road, Gow and his men riding hard towards them.

"What do you think they want?" Gansu asks around.

"Trouble." Rin responds as they look ahead as Gow and his men ride hard, the sheep pigs begin to make noise as they approach, they stop just in front of the teens and the family.

"What do you want, Gow?" Gansu asks the so-called soldier.

"Just thought someone ought to tell you, your son's battalion got captured." At this news, Gansu's expression turns to horror for his son. "You boys hear what the Fire Nation did with their last group of Earth Kingdom prisoners?" Gow asks his men.

"Dressed them up in Fire Nation uniforms and put them on the frontline unarmed, way I heard it." The Soldier says and spits. "Then they just watched." This angers Gansu and he points at them with his wife and son behind him.

"You watch your mouth!" Gansu warns them and Gow moves his horse ostrich forward, but RIn rides forward blocking his path.

"Why bother rooting around in the mud with these pigs?" Gow asks them, then he and his men turn around then leave making dust swirl around from their departure as a memory comes to Zuko's mind.

* * *

 _The memory starts with a garden in the Fire Nation palace once again with Zuko and Azula running by laughing as a servant approaches their mother as she sits by the pond. The servant gives her a scroll, she opens it and stands up as tear rolls down her face, with this Zuko approaches her worried for his mother. "Iroh has lost his son. Your cousin Lu Ten did not survive the battle." Ursa informs him and the memory ends as he knew the feeling of losing someone so close to you, he knew Rin was the same._

* * *

Zuko looks to where Gow and his men had retreated, Gansu and Sela hug one another to console each other in the background as Lee stands next to his parents. "What's going to happen to my brother?" Lee asks his father.

"I'm going to the front. I'm going to find Sen Su and bring him back." Gansu tells his wife and they walk back to their house. Lee begins to cry in sorrow for his older brother and runs to find comfort, it seems that was Rin as he runs towards her.

"When my Dad goes, will you stay?" Lee asks the two strangers.

"No. we need to move on. Here." Zuko offers him his dagger given to him by his uncle. "I want you to have this. Read this inscription." He tells him, he takes the dagger and unsheathes the dagger reading it.

"'Made in the Earth Kingdom.'" Lee reads out.

"The other one." Zuko tells him.

"'Never give up without a fight.'" Lee reads and the sound of heavy footsteps can be heard and Rin puts their horse ostrich into a gallop as they recede into the distance. Lee runs after them for a few steps, with a pig in tow but they are too fast.

"You did the right thing," Rin tells him smiling at him trying to give him some comfort.

"I know." He answers and they continue to ride as yet another memory gives in to his thoughts.

* * *

 _The memory fades into him in a room in the palace as he wields the knife he uncle had given him, he fakes his dead falling over with Azula behind him sitting on a chair. "You waste all your time playing with knives. You're not even good." Azula taunts her older brother, he gets up his cheeks flaming._

" _Put an apple on your head and we'll find out how good I am!" Zuko raises his voice in annoyance at her constant taunting of him._

" _By the way, Uncle's coming home." She tells him getting up from her seat and walks over to him._

" _Does that mean we won the war?" He asks her._

" _No. It mean's Uncle's a quitter and a loser." She tells him._

" _What are you talking about? Uncle's not a quitter." He argues defending his beloved Uncle._

" _Oh yes, he is. He found out his son died ad he just fell apart." She leans against a nearby pillar. "A real General would stay and burn Ba Sing Se to the ground, not lose the battle and come home crying. There are rumours of a General Rin, she could do it." She tells him, she had heard the rumours of a General Rin going around the palace for some time now and she had to say she was curious who this woman was._

" _How do you know what he should do?" He asks her angrily then looks down sadly. "He's probably just sad his only kid is gone… forever." He feels so sad himself at the loss of his cousin as a shadow approaches the entrance to the chamber they were playing in, it is their mother._

" _You father has requested an audience with Fire Lord Azulon. Best clothes, hurry up." Ursa informs her children._

" _Fire Lord Azulon. Can't you just call him 'Grandfather'? He's not exactly the powerful Fire Lord he used to be. Someone will probably end up taking his place soon." Azula mockingly says._

" _Young lady! Not, another, word." Ursa warns her crossly and Azula runs past her. "What is wrong with that child?" She asks herself._

* * *

 _In the Fire Lord's throne room, the chamber is filled with dark, ornate pillars holding up the roof, the centre aisle leading up to the dias is clear. The Fire Lord sits on his throne up the dais, which is separated from the rest of the hall by a trench of fire._

 _Zuko, Azula and Ursa sit on the floor, Ursa and Zuko sit between Ozai in front of the stairs to the throne. "And how was it Great Grandfather Sozin managed to win the battle of Han Tui?" Ozai asks his son._

" _Great Grandfather won, because…" Zuko tries answering but struggles._

" _Because even though his army was outnumbered, he cleverly calculated his advantages. The enemy was downwind and there was a drought. Their defence burned to a crisp in minutes." Azula answers showing off as always._

" _Correct my dear. Now, won't you show Grandfather the new moves you demonstrated to me?" Ozai tells his daughter, she stands up and performs a series of Firebending movies as Ozai face shows a stony expression it turns to a slight smile at his daughter's performance. Zuko looks on at this with an uncertain expression on his face at the look he sees from his father. "She's a true prodigy. Just like her Grandfather for whom she's named." He sucks up as Azula sits down next to Zuko._

" _You'll never catch up." She whispers to her brother, stung by her comment, Zuko gets up from his spot and addresses the Fire Lord._

" _I'd like to demonstrate what I've been learning." He announces to his grandfather. Ozai frowns at this as Zuko tries to run through some of the same moves as Azula but with evidently less skill than her, a few moments, he chokes on the routine and falls on his backside. He recovers and finishes the routine as Ursa looks on in concern, Azula looks on at her brother's failure with glee and Ursa rushes over to him. "I failed." He says dejectedly._

" _No, I loved watching you. That's who you are Zuko. Someone who keeps fighting even though it's hard." Ursa tells her son as he looks at her with wide eyes. The Fire Lord Azulon looks out over his son and his family from high up on his throne._

" _Prince Ozai, why are you wasting my time with this pomp? Just tell me what you want." Azulon demands his son frustrated and angry and dismisses everyone else with a wave of his hand. "Everyone else go." As they are about to exit the chamber, Azula grabs Zuko by the hand taking him behind some curtains._

" _What are you…?" Zuko begins to ask her but she just quiets him as they run behind the curtains then peak out near where Ozai now addresses his father._

" _Father, you must have realised, as I have, that with Lu Ten gone Iroh's bloodline has ended. After his son's death, my brother abandoned the siege at Ba Sing Se, and who knows when he will return home? But I am here, father, and my children are alive." Ozai informs his father trying to reason with him._

" _Say what it is you want." Azulon remarks as he was growing annoyed at his son for walking around the subject he really wanted to talk about._

" _Father, revoke Iroh's birthright. I am your humble servant, here to serve you and our nation. Use me." Ozai pleads with him as he desires power, this statement causes Azulon to lean forward in his throne and points a finger at Ozai as he kneels before him._

" _You dare suggest I betray Iroh? My firstborn?" Azulon questions his second son as the fire in the trenches rises up mirroring the Fire Lord's anger. "Directly after the demise of his only beloved son? I think Iroh has suffered enough. But you, your punishment has scarcely begun!" He rages at his son, as the kid's spy from behind the curtain, scared, Zuko breaks out and runs away while Azula turns back to the spectacle, a cruel smile on her face._

* * *

 _In Zuko's room, he lies on his bed asleep when the door opens and Zuko wakes up as Azula leans against the doorway. "Dad's going to kill you," Azula says in a sing-song voice. "Really, he is." She adds in her normal voice and turns to look at him with a leer._

" _Ha-ha, Azula. Nice try." Zuko replies sarcastically as he did not believe her as she has lied to him in the past._

" _Fine, don't believe me, but I heard everything. Grandfather said dad's punishment should fit his crime. 'You must know the pain of losing a firstborn son, by sacrificing your own!'" She imitates their Grandfather._

" _Liar!" He yells out at him._

" _I'm only telling you for your own good. I know, maybe you could find a nice Earth Kingdom family to adopt you." She says as she walks over and sits on his bed._

" _Stop it, you're lying!" He holds his blanket for security. "Dad would never do that to me." He argues._

" _Your father would never do what to you?" Ursa asks her son as she enters the room. "What is going on here?" She asks her children._

" _I don't know," Azula answers faking innocence._

" _It's time for a talk." She says grabbing a hold of Azula and leads her out of the room._

" _Azula always lies… Azula always lies…." Zuko chants to himself and the memory begins to fade away._

* * *

As the memory fades away more like a dream now, he sleeps on the ground with his arm around RIn's sleeping form, but chants along with his younger self, this wakes RIn up as she turns to face him. "Azula always lies…" He chants in his sleep, she moves her hand to trace his scar while he sleeps and he wakes up as the sound of a wagon, it seems to be approaching them, it's Sela and she seems distraught.

"You have to help. It's Lee." Sela tells the two strangers as she gets off of the wagon and approaches them. "The thugs from two came back as soon as Gansu left. When they ordered us to give them food, Lee pulled a knife on them. I don't even know where he got a knife! Then they took him away. They told me if he's old enough to fight, he's old enough to join the army. I know we barely know you, but…" She cries out and they stand up facing her.

"We'll get your son back," Zuko tells her.

* * *

They ride into the village, the sun setting casting a golden hue over them as they ride under a tall paifang gate that looks like it could be straight from a western. Lee is tied to a post, his head snaps up at the sound of Zuko and Rin's approach and he smiles. "Hey! There they are! I told you they'd come." Lee cries out, Gow and his men emerge from the shadows like the creatures they are as Zuko and Rin dismount and he takes off his hat and they face off, the latter backed up by his men.

"Let the kid go," Zuko orders them in a threatening tone.

"Who do you think you are? Telling us what to do?" Gow asks him, laughing than in an equally threatening tone. Zuko, Rin and their mount cast a long shadow due to the angle of the sun.

"It doesn't matter who we are, but I know who you are. You're not soldiers. You're bullies. Freeloaders, abusing your power. Mostly over women and kids. You don't want Lee in your army. You're sick cowards messing with a family who's already lost one son to the war." Rin states looking at them in disgust as she thought about her past at being a soldier.

"Are you going to let these strangers stand there and insult you like this?" Gow asks his men after a pause at what Rin has said. The soldier to Gow's left brandishes his spear and walks towards the teens, Zuko pulls back and Rin stands tall as the soldier lunges for her, then Rin steps aside as Zuko draws the handle of his sword right into the stomach of the charging thug. The soldier gets knocked backwards, he gets back up and runs off away from the fight.

Another one of the soldiers runs at Rin with his spear, but she blocks the attack then brings him to the ground with a firm punch to the face, this thug gets up like the last one and runs away to Gow.

The last soldier charges at the two teens with his spear, but Zuko breaks it in half with one blow, the thug drops the remaining pieces and runs away. Lee laughs at the sight in delight as the crowd gathers, Sela among them looks amazed at what she's seen.

Gow, made of sterner stuff than his men apparently, draws his two warhammers and adopts a bending stance. Zuko, in turn, draws his broadswords as Gow slams the ground with one hammer, a rock rises up and he hits it with the other hammer. The rock flies towards Zuko, but he shatters it with his blades, Gow repeats the move two more times in a rapid succession. Rin destroys one rock, but Zuko is hit in the stomach by the other, he luckily recovers from the hit and runs at Gow with his swords.

"Give him a left! A left!" An old man from the crowd shouts out to them.

"It's not a fistfight." An old woman argues with the old man.

"He's got a left sword, don't he? And the girls using her fists." The old man argues back to her as Zuko continues rushing their opponents. He chops several more rocks while Rin swipes her hands to the side knocking the rocks away from her, but he gets thrown backwards again by one of the rocks that get through, he staggers at the impact.

"Look out!" The old man shouts out to the teens.

"Behind you!" Lee shouts out to them as Zuko and Rin are being steadily back by Gow, the thug leader alternates hammers as he smacks the ground, each time raising rocks and hurling them at the two teens. With a mighty blow to the ground, Gow raises up a shock wave of earth and rock that travels along the ground between him and his opponents. A huge rock erupts from the ground as the shock wave nears Zuko and Rin, striking the Prince as Rin dodges out of the way throwing him to the ground. The crowd gasps as Zuko falls in the dust, an expression of pain on his face, Rin snaps her head towards Gow, with fire in her eyes. She advances towards him with a dark look as Zuko watches her walk away it reminded him of something.

* * *

 _It was when he was younger back in the Fire Nation he was asleep in his bed, he soon awakes sleepily from his interrupted sleep. "Mom?" He asks in a sleepy tone as he sits up in his bed, his mother's silhouette in the dark near him._

" _Zuko, please, my love, listen to me. Everything I've done," She hugs him close to her for what was unknown to him at the time for the last time. "I've done to protect you. Remember this, Zuko. No matter how things may seem to change, never forget who you are." She tells him and finally lets him go and walks down the dark hall out of his room._

* * *

The memory fades away from his mind as he still lays out flat on the ground with the dust from his fall still settling down. Rin approaches the thug leader, Lee still tied up, she makes it to him and throws a punch towards the thug leader, he dodges to the side as Rin was using half her strength so not to show who she really was. "Get up," Lee whispers to Zuko desperately.

Zuko opens his eyes and screams out in fury, this stops Rin and Gow as they turn to look at the Prince as he spins around as he gets up from the ground, Firebending a circle around him. Gow draws back, dropping his hammers to the ground. "Could have said, we could Firebend." Rin grunts as she lights up her hands with her usual purple fire making the thug leader quake in fear as he heard stories of the Purple Reaper. Zuko fires a blast of fire at Gow that hits him full in the stomach, the thug leader shoots back and falls to the ground.

Zuko finishes getting up, he wreathed in fire and his expression is filled with angry and Lee looks in surprise.

Gow recovers getting back up from the ground, he assumes another bending stance, Zuko charges at him, sending many bolts of fire from his blade in Gow's direction. One hits the thug throwing his back into the wall of a nearby building and part of it collapses on him after the impact. "Who, who are you?" Gow asks the two teens looking up at them.

"My name is Zuko. Son of Ursa and Fire Lord Ozai." Zuko states with such confidence as he sheathed his swords. "Prince of the Fire Nation and heir to the throne."

"My name is Rin. Daughter of Sai and General Jou. General of the Fire Nation." Rin states and looks ahead with a vacant look in her eyes as the crowd begin to chatter about this revelation, Lee looks shocked at this too.

"Liar! I heard of you. You're not a Prince or a General, you're outcasts" His own father burned and disowned him." The Old man declares pointing at them. Zuko turns away from the old man, ignoring the comment, instead, he walks over to Gow, who cowers at the Prince's approach. He bends down taking the dagger back that the thug had apparently taken from Lee, he walks over to where Sela is untying Lee after that is done, she moves in front of Lee to protect him as Zuko approaches, shielding him from the banished Prince.

"Not a step closer," Sela warns him and he kneels down offering the dagger to Lee, who looks out from behind his mother as Zuko speaks.

"It's yours. You should have it." Zuko tells the young boy with RIn walking over to him.

"No, I hate you!" Lee shouts at him, he turns around and walks away with his Mother, Zuko kneels behind them, silhouetted by the sun as the crowd stand still behind him with Rin next to him.

* * *

 _He fades into another memory of when he was younger and gets up out of his bed and runs down the hall as he calls for his mother. "Mum? Mum, Mum!" Zuko calls out for her as Azula leans against a pillar somewhere in the palace, playing with Zuko's knife, she steps out from behind the pillar as he passes her. "Where's mum?" Zuko asks her in a slightly panicked voice._

" _No one knows. Oh, and last night, Grandpa passed away." Azula answers him being almost vague._

" _Not funny, Azula. You're sick. And I want my knife back, now." Zuko demands as he tries to grab the knife, but she dodges and holds the knife out in front of him, taunting him._

" _Who's going to make me? Mum?" Azula taunts him and he grabs the knife and runs out of the room, he runs into the garden where Ozai looks out over the pond. "Where is she?" Zuko asks his father but he does not reply to his question regarding his mother, and Zuko looks down at this in despair._

* * *

 _A ceremonial plaza somewhere in the palace, it is packed with people, as the Fire Sage speaks. On the dais stands the gold sarcophagus and the Fire Sage presiding over the ceremony, around it stand members of the royal family, including Ozai, Azula and Zuko all dressed in white."Azulon, Fire Lord to our nation for 23 years. You were our fearless leader in the battle of Gar Sai. Our matchless conqueror of the Hu Sin provinces. You were father of Iroh. Father of Ozai. Husband of Ila, now passed. Grandfather of Lu Ten, now passed. Grandfather of Zuko and Azula." The Fire Sage announces then turns around and approaches the sarcophagus, he reaches in taking the Fire Lord's diadem, in the foreground Ozai walks forward. "We lay you to rest." The Fire Sage recites and holds the diadem above his head as two Firebenders on the left and right light fire to the sarcophagus, with the fire of the funeral pyre burning behind him, the Fire Sage crowns the new Fire Lord. "As was your dying wish, you are now succeeded by your second son." The Fire Sage recites as he puts the diadem on Ozai's head. "Hail Fire Lord Ozai!" He shouts as the audience below stand and as Ozai stands up from being crowned, the audience all bow to him. Ozai looks out over the enormous field below, filled with his subjects as Azula and Zuko wear white, bowing too to their father. Azula with her customary cruel grin and Zuko looks over at his younger sister in fear, then looks ahead._

* * *

Zuko goes out of his memory, and they ride away from the village on their horse ostrich, Zuko has his round hat back on his head. They ride out of the village with either side of the street lined with villagers, an Earth Kingdom flag flies in the breeze on the left as they all look upon them with a mix of dull hatred and warmth. These feelings were so different but they weren't for the same person, they dull hatred was for Zuko, though unwarranted and the warmth was for Rin even if at this point she did not know why they were looking at her like that or the name they gave her.

* * *

Zuko and Rin ride into the sunset, she hugs him close to her giving him her feelings in this hug to show how loved he really is. "I love you." She tells him and he looks back at her and sees the truth in her eyes and smiles at her.

"I love you too." He replies and they continue riding.

 **This is DeadGirlEternal here, so sorry it took so long for the chapter to come out as I had writer's block but here it is and I know that Rin isn't in this much but I felt that this was more Zuko based than anything so let me know how you like the chapter and my last chapter still stands, see ya at the next chapter.**


	6. The Chase Is On!

_"Water... Earth... Fire... Air…" Katara voices over as the benders demonstrate as she talks. "My grandmother used to tell me stories about the old days, a time of peace when the Avatar kept the balance between the Water Tribes, Earth Kingdom, Fire Nation, and Air Nomads. But that all changed when the Fire Nation attacked." It journeys into the map showing the world and closes in on a bender displaying all the elements. "Only the Avatar mastered all four elements. Only he could stop the ruthless firebenders. But when the world needed him most, he vanished." He disappears from sight. "A hundred years have passed and the Fire Nation is nearing victory in the war. Two years ago, my father and the men of my tribe journeyed to the Earth Kingdom to help fight against the Fire Nation, leaving me and my brother to look after our tribe." It shows the Water Tribe men on their boats and Katara hugging her older brother Sokka holding up a lantern. "Some people believe that the Avatar was never reborn into the Air Nomads and that the cycle is broken, but I haven't lost hope. I still believe that somehow the Avatar will return to save the world."_

 **The Chase Is On!**

The sun begins to set over a large range of hills with trees and a creek spread out before them with Appa and the gang, now including Toph sit in a dried up section of the creek. There is a bunch of white fur around Appa's feet, Aang stands on top of Appa in the saddle and passes a sleeping bag to Sokka. Katara walks around Appa's head to the same side as the boys, with Toph left of them staring and wiggling her feet in Appa's shedded fur. "Hey, you guys picked a great campsite." Toph comments as she wiggles her feet again in the pile of white fur. "The grass is so soft."

"That's not grass. Appa's shedding." Sokka corrects her and Katara lifts her right foot out of the fur and balances herself on her left foot.

"Oh, gross!" Katara cries out in displeasure.

"That's not gross; it's just a part of spring." Aang reasons still atop of Appa, a blue bird lands gracefully onto his head and a yellow butterfly flutters by his right ear which Momo jumps up in an attempts to snatch it. "You know, rebirth, flowers blooming, and Appa gets a new coat!" He cheers.

"Ah, the beauty of spring." Katara sighs as Appa, sticks his tongue out to reveal it's covered in fur, he sneezes blowing fur everywhere. "Stop, Appa, stop!" She cries out and coughs due to the fur, she waves her arms to stop Appa from covering her hair even more. Over with the boys, Sokka kneels down onto the ground and rubs the white fur onto his head.

"It's not that bad, Katara." Sokka says and stands to reveal he piled the white fur on his head to form a tall pillar of hair. "It makes a great wig!" He jokes as Aang drops down from atop Appa, he arranges the fur on his face to form a large mustache and beard.

"And a great beard!" Aang jokes and the boys laugh at one another, Katara looks at them not smiling and begins wiping the fur off of her sleeve.

"I'm just glad we finally have another girl in the group because you two are disgusting," Katara responds unamused. Aang and Sokka both are slightly hunched over with one arm over the other's shoulder.

"Excuse me," Toph says as she walks between the two boys breaking them apart. "Does anyone have a razor... " She lifts up both her arms to reveal a mass of white fur emerging out of both her sleeves, under her arms. "...because I've got some hairy pits!" She jokes, the three of them all laugh until Aang gives one of his powerful airbending sneezes, thrusting him backwards into Appa's leg then falls face down onto the ground. He lifts his head to reveal his beard and mustache are gone but he now has a large mass of fur sticking jaggedly up on his head. All three of them begin laughing again, Katara's look of disgust changes quickly into joy and laughs along with the others.

The day soon flies by and turns to night, Aang, Sokka and Katara set up camp, Sokka carries some firewood, Aang with a blast of air, sets up the tent, and Katara swirls some water in a large pot. They all eventually stop what they're doing and look to see Toph laying lazily against a rock with her legs crossed, arms behind her head, and a piece of straw casually hanging from her mouth. Katara looks at her annoyed and stands up from her spot and walks over to the younger girl with a clear thought on how this talk would end. "So, Toph, usually setting up camp we try to divide up the work." Katara informs the blind girl.

"Hey, don't worry about me, I'm good to go." Toph replies lying down on the ground.

"Well, actually, what I'm trying to say is, uh, some of us might fetch water while someone else might set up the fire pit or put up the tent." Katara tries getting her point across as Aang and Sokka work on behind her and Momo flies down dropping some nuts into Katara's open hand and flutters by her head. "Even Momo does his fair share." As Katara finishes her little speech Toph takes the straw from her mouth.

"Katara, I'm fine. I can carry my own weight. I don't need a fire, I've already collected my own food, and look," Toph says and now sits upright, she uses her Earthbending to create a stone tent. "My tents all set up." She smiles obliviously to Katara as she becomes steadily more annoyed by the young blind Earthbender.

"Well, that's great for you, but we still need to finish…" Katara tries saying but gets cut off by Toph as she sits just outside her stone tent.

" _I_ don't understand. What's the problem here?" Toph asks the Water Tribe teen getting irritated at her.

"Never mind." Katara sighs in defeat and walks away as Toph Earthbends herself back into her tent.

A little later on Sokka and Aang keep on setting up camp, Aang standing atop Appa's head while Sokka stands on the ground. Aang uses Airbending and lifts Appa's basket off his back and attempts to lower it down to Sokka, but accidentally drops it on top of him and the poor boy yells out.

"Sorry!" Aang apologises and leaps down to lift the basket off the older boy. Katara places her pot of water down and looks over to Toph by her stone tent, Katara smiles slightly as Toph eats something in front of her tent while Katara walks over to her.

"Hey Toph, I wanted to apologise for earlier. I think we're all just a little tired and getting on each others' nerves." Katara gives her apology.

"Yeah, you do seem pretty tired." Toph agrees with her but this aggravates the Water Tribe teen more.

"I meant all of us." Katara snaps at the blind girl angrily at her reply as she stands outside Toph's stone tent.

"Well, goodnight," Toph says ending the conversation and turns around laying down on her chest inside her stone tent.

"Goodnight," Katara replies half-heartedly as she didn't get her point across to the stubborn Earthbender and walks away.

Night soon falls over the group as Aang sleeps on Appa's front right arm, with Momo curled up on Appa's head, Sokka and Katara are sleeping inside their tent, and Toph is across the campsite asleep in her stone tent. Quite suddenly the silent night changes as Toph awakes and gasps, rising to her knees and feeling the ground with her hand, she feels something and moves her head to the right as she listens carefully for noise, she rises from the ground and turns around and runs outside. "There's something coming towards us!" Toph shouts out to the rest of them as Aang wakes and looks up, Momo does the same, Katara and Sokka emerge from their tent.

"What is it?" Aang asks his Earthbending teacher and she stands in the middle of the campsite, she kneels to the ground again to feel it.

"It feels like an avalanche…" Toph tells them, Aang, Katara and Sokka stand behind her looking worried for what was coming. "But also not like an avalanche." She adds confusing the others.

"Your powers of perception are frightening." Sokka comments.

"Should we leave?" Katara asks the group.

"Better safe than sorry." Aang answers and beyond the treeline something is moving rapidly in the group's direction across an open area of ground, kicking up a large cloud of dust in its wake.

* * *

They get onto Appa and fly up into the air, Aang sits on Appa's head, he turns around and squints his eyes to see their pursuer, the others look behind them as well. "What is that thing?" Katara asks, as a large train-like tank with smoke pouring out of it's smokestack with two large compartments connected to it, trails behind them. The machine move quickly despite its size and weight leaving large treads as it races after the group.

The moon in the cloudy sky, with the group partially blocking them, Appa flies in through the clouds and the night continues on as Aang holds Appa's reigns. He now has bags under his eyes from the lack of sleep and yawns deeply. Sokka uses his right arm to support his head, Toph holds the side of the saddle, while Katara sits in the middle. The girls both struggle to stay awake as Appa flies through the sky over a range of hills below them.

Appa finally descends onto one of the hills a little bit later, once all of his six paws hit the ground, Toph jumps out of the saddle and lays on the ground as the other three climb out as well. "Ahh, land, sweet land!" Toph cheers and uses her Earthbending to propel herself to her feet and slings her bag over her shoulder. "See you guys in the morning!"

"Actually, can you help us unload?" Katara asks her and Toph looks back at them.

"Really? You need me to help unload Sokka's funky-smelling sleeping bag?" Toph asks as if it was an insane request, as she finishes her sentence Sokka standing beside Appa gets handed his sleeping bag by Aang and takes a few sniffs. The smell of it makes his twitch in disgust matching facial expressions with Toph and he falls backwards from the odor.

"Well, yeah." Katara replies as she approaches the blind girl. "That and everything else. You're apart of our team now and…" She tries saying but gets cut off by Toph.

"Look." Toph cuts her off with an irritated tone and points at Katara. "I didn't ask _you_ to help unload my stuff. I'm carrying my own weight." She tells her and walks off.

"That's not the point," Katara argues with a hand on her hip, and she walks over to Toph, she reaches her and stops. "Ever since joining us you've been nothing but selfish and unhelpful."

" _What?_ " Toph exclaims and does a half turn then points at Katara again. "Look here, Sugar Queen." She drops her arm and continues, Katara makes a gesture like she wants to interject. "I gave up everything I had so that I could teach Aang Earthbending, so don't talk to me about being selfish." She argues and she sits down quickly onto the floor and makes another stone tent around herself.

" _Sugar Queen!_ " Katara yells out and Toph closes off her rock tent by bringing up a slab of Earth up to cover the opening facing Katara. "D-did you just slam the door in my face!" She yells out again in upset moving around erratically while grumbling.

Sokka, Aang and Momo just watch on as the two girls argue knowing to stay out of it as best they can. "How can you be so infuriating!" Katara yells on and she continues to grumble while the others speak.

"Should we… do something?" Aang asks the older boy hesitantly.

"Hey, I'm just enjoying the show," Sokka tells him as Katara pounds on the makeshift door of the tent as Aang walks up to her.

"Okay, okay, you both need to calm down," Aang tells them not getting his mistake.

" _Both?_ " She asks in disbelief and turns around quickly to show a hysterical face. "I'm completely calm!" Katara shouts at him, he stands very still and begins to back away from her slowly as he replies.

"I… can see that." Aang creeps away from the furious teenage girl.

Under the night sky, the trees Aang, Sokka and Katara lie down on the ground, the Water Tribe teens in sleeping bags, Katara stares awake at the night sky. "The stars sure are beautiful tonight." Katara comments and Sokka lies next to her, he wakes up aggravated and covers his head in his bag to drown out the noise. "Too bad you can't see them, Toph!" She yells out and they hear a grunt and see a rumble of Earth emerge from Toph's tent and crawls quickly across the ground, it strikes Katara's sleeping bag causing it to fly upwards and land on top of Sokka, he flips her off of him.

"Hey, how is a guy supposed to sleep with all this yelling and Earthquaking!" Sokka shouts and Toph's stone tent door goes down and she emerges and places her hand on the ground outside.

"That thing is back!" Toph announces to the others and they all sit up and look over at her.

"Well, how far away is it?" Sokka asks her covering his head again, making his voice slightly muffled. "Maybe we can close our eyes just for a few minutes." He hopes but the smoke from the machine stacks in the distance.

"I don't think so, Sokka." Aang replies urgently and they fly off on Appa over the trees and hills again, away from the smoke cloud following them. The machine moves powerfully and swiftly across the terrain and on the rear of Appa's saddle Toph and Katara lay over the piles of strapped down supplies and equipment.

"Seriously, what is that thing?" Katara asks.

"And how does it keep finding us?" Toph also asks, Aang leans over the front lip of it while Sokka is asleep and snoring too.

"I don't know, but this time I'm going to make sure we lose 'em." Aang says determined to lose the contraption that's trailing behind them.

* * *

 **They continue to fly over the hills again and soon land on a large circular patch of land on a hill, when he lands he falls over on his side spilling out the company in his saddle. Aang, Katara and Toph simply stay lying where they fell and Sokka pulls out his sleeping bag and stuffs himself inside. "Okay, forget about setting up camp. I'm finding the softest pile of dirt and going to sleep." Sokka announces as Katara pulls a bag close to lay her head on it.**

"That's good because Toph wasn't going to help anyway," Katara says in a snarky tone and Toph lays down face up with her head on her bag.

"Oh, I didn't realise baby still needed someone to tuck her in bed." Toph taunts her getting back at her for the comment.

"Come on guys, there's something after us and we don't even know what-" Aang tells them and covers his head with the top of his shirt, muffling his voice. "-or who it is."

"It could be Zuko and Rin. We haven't seen them since the North Pole." Katara comments thinking it over.

"Whose Zuko and Rin?" Toph asks them not having met them yet.

"Oh, just some angry freak with a ponytail and a beautiful blond with strange fire that's tracked us all over the world." Sokka tells her as he purchase his head up on the ground nad he puts his head back down in the dirt.

"What's wrong with ponytails, ponytail?" Katara asks him jokingly as she looks at his own.

"This is a warrior's wolf tail." Sokka corrects her gesturing to his own hair in a muffled voice.

"Well, it certainly tells the other warriors that you're fun and perky!" Katara taunts her older brother as the group all lie down for some well-needed rest.

"Anyway, whoever's chasing us, they couldn't have followed us here. So… now would everyone just" He changes the subject getting more tired and puts his finger to his mouth 'shhh!'ing everyone, he lies down as Momo jumps on to him chirping a little, "No, Momo, ssh! Sleepy time." He quiets the lemur and he jumps off of Sokka and continues to chirp. He jumps around moving away from the group, his ears twitching and Aang stands up, but Sokka lays his head down again muffling his voice. "Aww, don't tell me…" He groans at the unsaid words and no sleep yet again and the girls both get up.

"That's impossible. There's no way they could have tracked us." Aang argues just wanting just an hour of sleep for him and his friends but whoever was chasing them wasn't letting up.

"I can feel it with my own two feet!" Toph tells him and he runs over to stand beside Momo on the ledge to get a better look at what is following them. A cloud of smoke, once again, approaches from the distance, the machine crawls over a hill as it continues its approach. The group all look down off off the ledge down to see their pursuers in the distance getting closer.

"Let's get out of here!" Katara reasons wanting to get to safety.

"Maybe we should face them. Find out who they are. Who knows, maybe they're friendly." Aang tells the others.

"Always the optimist." Sokka retorts.

The machine stops moving abruptly and the side of the compartment opens up, white smoke pours out of the machine and a ramp descends onto the ground. In the smoke, three figures are visible, the figures walk down the ramp out of the white smoke, the middle one in the front of the other two. They figures ride giant Lizards and the figures become clearer to the gang, Azula, Ty Lee and Mai.

On the ledge Aang and Katara are stunned, the bags under their eyes very visible now thanks to the late night, the three girls make it to the bottom of the hill where the gang stand.

With a little grunt from the girls lizard mounts, the girls move forward, the girls ride the giant lizards up the path leading to Aang and the others at remarkable speed. Aang, Katara, Sokka and Toph stand on the ledge looking down at the girls below making their way towards them. "It's those three girls from Omashu!" Katara exclaims in surprise as all four assume their own unique battle stance, Sokka having drawn his boomerang.

"We can take 'em. Three on three." Toph reassures the others.

"Actually, Toph, there's four of us." Sokka corrects her a little confused as she didn't include him in the count.

"Oh. I'm sorry, I didn't count you. You know, no bending and all." Toph tells him, this causes his stance to drop and make a furious expression at her while shouting in an equally furious voice. "I can still fight!"

"Okay. Three one three plus Sokka." Toph recorrects herself, making Sokka growl furiously while his face turns red in anger at her words. On the hillside the three girls proceed up quickly and Toph jabs her arms and fists in the air three times, while on the third time she opens her palms, the ground under her gives a large rumble of Earth descending down from her position, blasting rocks everywhere. The three girls ride forward quickly as a large rock formation rises from the ground to impede them but they simple ride over each one as the get closer to the group.

"Well, we wanted to find out who they were. We found out." Sokka retorts and sheaths his boomerang and turns around. "Now let's get out of here." He tells the others and the run back to Appa but Toph as once again she assumes an Earthbending stance and stops the ground once. A large wall of Earth rises up from the ground to block the path for the three girls, Azula moves her right arm under herself while blue electricity sparkles around it then brings her left arm over and across her chest. She releases a blast of lightning which destroys a portion of the wall which the three girls ride through to continue on their pursuit.

Katara, Momo and Aang are already in the saddle, Sokka is still on the ground holding his sleeping bag, and Toph remains at the edge of the rock looking in amazement at what she had seen (with her feet). Mai raises her left arm and releases four arrows from her wrists which head straight for Toph and she Earthbends causing the ground under to to rise quickly propelling her upwards and the arrows hit the rock and Toph lands in the saddle. "Appa, yip yip!" Aang calls out and Appa begins to away from the hill just as a blast of blue fire emerges from the dust cloud Toph's Earthbending created.

Azula has her right arm pointed up, her middle and index fingers extended, she lowers her arm and looks on at the group fly away.

* * *

Appa continues to fly through the night sky with a sleepy expression as Sokka, Katara and Toph sit in the saddle leaning against various things and Aang on Appa's head. "I can't believe those girls followed us all the way from Omashu," Katara states bringing up the conversation.

"I still think we could've taken them," Toph replies annoyed that the others had wanted to run while she wanted to continue fighting those three girls.

"Are you kidding? The crazy blue firebending and the flying daggers are bad enough, but last time we saw them one of those girls did something that took my bending away. That's scary." Katara retorts trying to reason with the stubborn girl as Appa flies over hills as the sun rises over the biggest one.

"Oh no, the sun is rising!" Sokka cries out as he sits at the lip of the saddle gesturing to the sun in front of them. "We've been up all night with no sleep."

"Sokka, we'll be okay." Aang tries to reassure his friend.

"Are you sure? I've never not slept before! What if I fall asleep now and something happens? And something _always_ happens!" Sokka speaks desperately as he makes erratic movements and crazy facial expressions.

"Every time we land, those girls are there, so we'll just have to keep flying." Katara voices her opinion.

"We can't keep flying forever." Aang lightly argues as Appa flies over the hills with the rising run in the background.

* * *

In a grassland, the tank train passes through, with the treads ripping the flowers away passing with incredible speed leaving large tracks behind. By one of the tracks, the tank leaves behind there are the feet of a very familiar ostrich horse following behind.

Zuko and Rin ride on following the tracks, Rin in the front keeping an eye on the tracks, Zuko has his head bowed leaning his forehead on Rin's back but raises it with a look of determination on his face and squeezes his arms around Rin waist. They ride across the grassland, the tracks from the tank going the whole length, with the two Fire Nation teens riding beside the tracks following the cloud of smoke in the distance. "The chase is on!" Rin cheers and whips the reigns making the ostrich horse to gain more speed.

* * *

Appa flies over the clouds still all of the group fighting sleep. "So, what's the plan?" Aang asks as he yawns from the lack of sleep they all had, Toph slumps against the rim of Appa's saddle, her face visible through one of the holes.

"Don't know… too tired to think." Toph replies as the Water Tribe siblings lie against the strapped down pile of bags.

"I'm sure we'll come up with something after a short nap," Katara replies wanting sleep like the rest of them.

"Yes! Sleep!" Sokka exclaims and suddenly they begin to rise as clouds rush by them from the bottom as Appa is falling. Toph and Momo also rise as the bison they were lying on falls away, Toph clings to the side of the saddle, Momo clinging to her foot.

"What's going on!" Toph shouts out to the others, Aang still holds onto the reigns while falling feet higher than Appa.

"Appa fell asleep!" Aang yells back, they try desperately to keep from falling away from him, Katara holds onto her brother's hand as he grips the bags. They all scream loudly as they fall, Sokka pulls his sister closer to him and she grabs his chest and holds on tight. Aang crawls down Appa's forehead to look him in the eyes as he sleeps. "Wake up, buddy!" Aang yells at him as the bison plummets to the ground, one of Appa's eyes as it slowly opens and he stops abruptly in his fall at the top of a tree line. As he stops falling the others falls to and land on the saddle at the abrupt stop from Appa and they cling to the saddle, but are almost blown out of the saddle as the bison races forward. Appa crashes through the trees as he tries to slow down, the others brace themselves from the branches and limbs that are crashing into them. The birds fly away from the trees, as Appa creates a large trench behind him in his crash landing.

* * *

 **Appa's head lies onto the ground, he's finally fallen asleep again, Aang slides down off of the bison's head and walks away slowly. "Appa's exhausted." Aang states to the others and Sokka and Katara walk away from Appa with their sleeping bags.**

"Okay, we've put a lot of distance between us and them. The plan now is to follow Appa's lead and get some sleep." Sokka tells the others.

"Of course, we could have gotten some sleep earlier," Katara says and looks at Toph to see her on her stomach asleep on the ground. "If Toph didn't have such issues." She snaps.

"What!?" Toph screams, and springs awake slamming her hands on the ground causing it to break a little as she stands up, and Aang approaches from the front of Appa's head.

"Alright, alright! Everyone's exhausted. Let's just get some rest." Aang tells them trying to defuse the situation between the two girls.

"No! I want to hear what Katara has to say. You think I have _issues_?" Toph asks her accuser.

"I'm just saying, maybe if you helped out earlier we could've set up our camp faster and gotten some sleep and then maybe we wouldn't be in this situation!" Katara exclaims with an annoyed yet sarcastically placid face. Sokka stays to the side minding his own business not wanting to get into the middle of that argument and rolls out his sleeping bag and falls down asleep. Katara and Toph stand next to Appa having a stand-off while Aang stands by Appa's head watching them argue.

"You're blaming _me_ for this!?" Toph asks her in rage and Katara throws down her sleeping bag and waves her hands back and forth in a 'bring it on' gesture while Toph clenches her fists and Aang zips in between them, trying to stop them fighting.

"No, no! She's not blaming you!" Aang yells out trying to get them to stop.

"No, I'm blaming her!" Katara yells back.

"Hey!" Toph yells out and with one hand, she throws Aang away and the two girls glaring att one another. "I never asked you for diddly doo da. I carry my own weight!" She yells out and Aang sits on top of Appa having been thrown over there with Toph and Katara beside him. "Besides, if there's anyone to blame, it's sheddy over here!" She points out more harshly than needed to be.

"What? You're blaming Appa?" Aang asks her annoyed as she walks over to Appa's side.

"Yeah! You wanna know how they keep finding us?" Toph asks them and she grabs a bunch of hair from Appa's side and opens her palm to let it blow away in the breeze. "He's leaving a trail everywhere we go!" She tells them and Aang jumps down next to Toph.

"How dare you blame Appa! He saved your life three times today! If there's anyone to blame, it's you! You're always talking about how you carry your own weight, but you're not! He is! Appa's carrying your weight! He never had a problem flying when it was just the three of us!" Aang rages out at Toph due to the limited amount of sleep they all had. Toph stands for a second then walks away from the others, now Sokka is awake and standing, Toph walks over to her bag and kicks the ground causing her bag to fly up into her arms thanks to her Earthbending.

"I'm outta here." Toph announces hurt by what they had said and wanted away from them, she walks away and Sokka runs in and stands in front of her trying to stop her from going, knowing that the others hadn't meant what they had said to her and it was all due to little sleep that they had all suffered from.

"Wait," Sokka tells her as he stands in front of Toph, arms raise from the side but Toph just taps the ground with her feet causing the ground under Sokka to move to the side along with him and she continues to walk away from them.

* * *

In the sky somewhere behind the group, some of Appa's hair drifts down to the ground, the tank zooms towards the hair and follows the hair.

* * *

Back at the camp, Aang raises his arms into the sky, his eyes black and watery on what he has just said to Toph. "What did I just do!?" Aang asks the others and falls down to sit as Katara stands next to him. "I can't believe I yelled at my Earthbending teacher. Now she's gone." He moans at himself.

"I know. We're all just trying to get used to each other, and I was so mean to her." Katara says too adding in her own troubles.

"Yeah, you two were pretty much jerks." Sokka agrees with them as he drinks from a cup, with the two visible over his shoulder.

"Thanks, Sokka," Katara replies sarcastically.

"No problem," Sokka answers not hearing the sarcastic undertone.

"We need to find Toph and apologise," Katara tells the two boys.

"Okay, but what are we going to do about the tank full of dangerous ladies chasing us?" Sokka asks her and Aang pulls some fur off of Appa, then opens his palm to let it flutter away in the breeze.

"I have a plan," Aang announces looking at the two Water Tribe siblings.

* * *

Appa sits in a river being washed, Aang and Katara stand on each of the banks using Waterbending to create spouts of water that rise and splash onto the bison's back. Sokka stands next to Appa's head with a scrubbing stick, stones in the river bank catch the fur as it flows down the river. Momo has a scrubber on his feet as he flutters down to land on Appa's back and begins scrubbing happily chirping away. The stream of water, however, moves up Appa's back towards Momo and he quickly flies away to avoid the water but Sokka unaware on Appa's head continues to scrub and the stream of water showers over Sokka who groans in annoyance at the occurrence. "Toph was right. Appa's fur was leaving a trail right to us. But now that he's clean, no more trail!" Aang announces as he looks to his soaking wet friend.

"Are you sure that he's okay to fly?" Katara asks him worried both about them and the giant flying bison.

"He'll be fine as long as we leave his saddle and all our stuff here." Aang tells her and he stands next to Appa's wet head and moves to a pile of fur and places it all into a bag. "I'm going to use Appa's fur to make a fake trail and lead the tank off course."

* * *

Appa grunts and takes off into the sky, he doesn't manage to clear the closest trees and hits them, causing their tops to break off and crash below. Aang walks over to watch him fly away, then turns around and walks away to being their little plan. Aang gets a running start and takes off on his glider while the bag full of Appa's white fur drops down piece by piece creating the fake trail.

* * *

In the mountains Toph walks along between rocks and trees all alone, then she comes to a halt as her feet feel a vibration in the Earth. She moves her feet to the left as if trying to get a better idea of what it was, she takes a breath and Earthbends quickly, causing a rumble of Earth to jet across the ground to her left. The rumble of Earth hits a rock causing a huge dust cloud to emerge from behind it and a loud grunt as well.

Behind the rock was, in fact, Iroh, he is not lying down on the ground massaging his behind due to Toph's attack and he seems a little more scruffy than usual since Zuko and Rin had left them and Toph stands in a stance on the rock behind him. "Ohhh… That really hurt my tailbone." Iroh grunts to himself unaware of Toph.

* * *

With the river and rock again, the white fur still clings onto the rock, when a long-nailed hand reaches in and feels some of the fur. "Wads of wet fur." Mai states as the three girls stand by the rivers side as Azula kneels down to exam the white fur while Ty Lee and Mai stand behind her. "How delightful." Mai groans yet again.

"Hmm… They're not wads, more like… bundles." Ty Lee adds on in a dreamy tone, Azula stands up and looks around the area. "Or bunches… It's got an 'uh' sound." Azula walks off and there is a slight pause between the two girls.

"Clumps?" Mai asks.

"Clumps!" Ty Lee exclaims in delight at her friend and jumps forward grabbing Mai around the neck in a hug. "They're clumps!" Mai just looks over Ty Lee's shoulder with a blank face as if regretting even adding in her opinion to her over cheerful friend, she looks down at the ground to see the fake path Aang as he flew away, Azula kneels down again, examining the white fur as Ty Lee and Mai in the background, breaking apart.

"The trail goes this way," Mai tells her friend and she stands and looks in one direction then turns to look the other way to see the tops of some trees where Appa crashed into when taking off. Azula walks over to the trees look at them and she turns around to face her two friends.

"The Avatar is trying to give us the slip," Azula tells her friends and points to the tops of the trees. "You two head in that direction and keep your eye out for the bison. I'll follow this trail." She orders them with a look of determination.

* * *

Ty Lee and Mai ride on their lizards down the trail heading towards, Katara, Sokka and Appa not sure of what will follow them once they catch up to the three but they knew it has to be victory. Once the two disappear from sight, Azula on her lizard watch on ad she whips the reigns and they dash away.

* * *

Aang glides over the treetops and continues to drop Appa's white fur as he goes, the terrain below changes from forest to desert. He checks to make sure the fur is still escaping the bag, then looks forward resolutely and glides towards a walled ghost town ahead of him in the distance.

* * *

Aang lands in the ghost town and folds up his glider, and walks down the town main path, the buildings are damaged and there is debris everywhere and shutters flap desolately on a window and a bell hangs on a porch rings in the wind. The town is deserted.

Aang shakes the last bits of Appa's white fur out of his bag, he opens his glider to leave, but stops himself and turns around and looks back down the trail of fur leading out of the ghost town. He thinks for a moment, then closes his glider and sits cross-legged at the end of the trail, waiting to face his pursuers head on.

* * *

Appa glides among the trees, he looks exhausted, Sokka is in the saddle while Katara is at the reigns, he moves around in the saddle looking out over the landscape from various angles. "Toph couldn't have made it too far." Sokka says as Momo begins to screech. "What is it, Momo… oh no! Katara!" He yells out to his sister as he sees below them is Mai and Ty Lee in close pursuit on their lizards.

"How did they find us?" Katara asks and shakes Appa's reigns as Mai and Ty Lee continue on their pursuit wearing expressions of determination but the giant bison begins to angle downwards.

"Appa, come on! We need to go faster!" Sokka exclaims in fear of the two girls pursuing them.

"He's too tired!" She yells back.

"Not good, not good!" He yells out as Appa yawns as they get closer to a river up ahead. "We just need to make it across that river!" He yells again but Appa continues to descend as he grows ever more tired taking off the tops of trees.

"Come on, Appa, just a little further!" She encourages the giant bison as the two Fire Nation girls are now right below them. Mai throws several stilettos at Sokka, but he luckily avoids them all as Appa plows into the river then into the far bank leaving a deep trench in the Earth. When he stops sliding, he is fast asleep and the Water Tribe Siblings and Momo stand up and look to the other side of the river bank where the Fire Nation girls are on their lizards.

"We made it! We're safe!" Sokka cheers.

"You did it, Appa!" Katara cheers alongside her brother, they hug each other, then Katara gasps at what she sees over Sokka's shoulder.

Their pursuers ride to the edge of the opposite river bank, when they reach the river, their lizards rise up onto two legs and run across the water. Katara launches a huge wave at them trying to stop them, the wave hits Ty Lee's lizard, but using a acrobat jump, she gracefully dodges the wave as it hits.

Ty Lee emerges from the top of the wave and lands among the nearby trees, she jumps from one tree to another, getting closer to Katara each time. Katara opens her water skin and tries whipping the bubbly Fire Nation girl away, but has to dodge several strikes from her opponent who is now in front of her. Katara launches several sheets of water at Ty Lee, but she performs a series of somersaults and avoids them easily.

Mai finally reaches the near bank of the river on her lizard and shoots several stilettos at her target.

Ty Lee closes in on Katara with a series of gymnastic maneuvers, both girls turn as Sokka gets between them as Mai's stilettos fly aimed for Katara. Sokka destroys them with his club and boomerang before they strike, he then throws his boomerang at her. Mai jumps off of her lizard, with the boomerang flying through where she had once been sitting, she launches more stilettos at Sokka which he quickly destroys with his club, Mai then launches herself at Katara.

Ty Lee runs forward with a ruthless grin on her face, she does a series of somersaults and jumps into the air. She comes back down, with a couple of rapid moves she renders Sokka's right arm useless with her chi blocking. He drops the boomerang that was in his right hand, he turns and quickly finds his left arm useless as well, his club falling out of his left hand. He tries to kick her, but she uses her chi blocking to render it useless like his arms. She then tries to strike again, but Sokka head butts her outstretch hand but she pulls it back with an expression of intense pain.

She gets over the pain from the suddenly contact of his hard forehead and then looks dagger at Sokka. "Good try, but no." He tells her.

Katara runs over to a tree on the edge of the river bank, she gathers up a wave of water from the river, but her arms are quickly pinned to the tree by stilettos thrown by Mai giving Katara a fright.

Mai stands patiently several feet from Katara, a moment later Sokka hops into view before collapsing between his sister and Mai, his behind sticking up into the air. Ty Lee walks over in a relaxed pace, with Sokka lying flat on the ground in the foreground and Katara held fast to the tree behind him, both siblings look frightened and stare at their captors. "How ya doing?" Sokka asks his sister.

"Well, you know!" Katara replies in a frenetic voice as Mai stands with her arms crossed, and Ty Lee with her hands on her hips both looking at their prisoners.

"I thought when Ty Lee and I finally caught you guys" Mai comments and slumps a bit and looks down in disappointment at the siblings. "It would be more exciting. Oh well, victory is boring."

"Well, Rin always says that victory too easy isn't really victory." Ty Lee comments as a sudden blast of air blows Mai and Ty Lee away, both girls scream as they land in the river some distance away. It was Appa, he was finally awake and turns around to the two Water Tribe teens to face them.

"Thanks, Appa. I don't know what we'd do without you." Sokka gleams and Appa responds with a tremendous lick which leaves Sokka sopping wet.

Ty Lee and Mai emerge from the river away from the others, and make it to the bank, they rest themselves and Ty Lee wrings out her braid. "Was it just me, or was that guy kinda cute?" Ty Lee asks Mai turning towards her.

* * *

In the ghost town Aang waits patiently for his pursuers with a look of determination on his face, the wind ruffling his clothes as it flows by. Azula approaches the ghost town in the distance on her lizard, she soon reaches the main path of the ghost town and dismounts. The Airbender and the Firebender face each other across the length of the main path of the deserted town. "Alright, you've caught up with me. Now who are you and what do you want?" Aang asks the strange girl that had been following him and his friends all night.

"You mean you haven't guessed? You don't see the family resemblance? Here's a hint." Azula asks him and tries to imitate Zuko's voice. "I must find the Avatar to restore my honour." But Aang just looks both surprised and confused by this new piece of information. "It's okay. You can laugh. It's funny." She tells the Avatar but she didn't really want him to laugh, well not at her of course, she hated people laughing at her.

"So what now?" Aang asks her not sure what she wanted besides him.

"Now… now it's over. You're tired and you have no place to go. You can run, but I'll catch you." Azula warns him and he stands up.

"I'm not running." Aang states with force, the sun shining over Azula's right shoulder and a cruel smile spreads over her face as the breeze blows a strand of her hair.

* * *

In the mountains, the afternoon sun overhead, Toph and Iroh sit around a campfire on a rock ledge overlooking the scene. Iroh pours tea for the both of them, he offers her the cup, but she doesn't take it immediately. "Here is your tea. You seem a little too young to be travelling alone." Iroh comments.

"You seem a little too old." Toph retorts and takes the cup from him.

"Perhaps I am." Iroh laughs at her comments.

"I know what you're thinking. I look like I can't handle being by myself." Toph sneers at the thought.

"I wasn't thinking that," Iroh tells her honestly.

"You wouldn't even let me pour my own cup of tea." Toph snaps and takes a sip of her tea.

"I poured your tea because I wanted to." He simply tells her making an emphatic gesture with his hand. "And for no other reason."

"People see me and think I'm weak. They want to take care of me. But I can take care of myself by myself." Toph tells him and hates thinking back to her past where all of that was true.

"You sounded just like my nephew. Always thinking you need to do things on your own without anyone's support. There is nothing wrong with letting people who love you help you. Not that i love you; I just met you." Iroh gives her some advice.

"So, where is your nephew?" Toph asks him with a laugh.

"I've been tracking him and his girlfriend, actually," Iroh tells her.

"Are they lost?" Toph asks him.

"Yes, a little bit. His life has recently changed and he's going through very difficult times. He is trying to figure out who he is and went away with his girlfriend. Though I hope for both their sakes that she knocked some sense into him." Iroh explains with a look of concern.

"So… now you're following them." Toph states.

"I know he doesn't want me around right now, but, if they need me, I'll be there," Iroh vows.

"Your nephew is very lucky, even if he doesn't know it." Toph stands up from the ground. "Thank you."

"My pleasure. Sharing tea with a fascinating stranger is one of life's true delights." Iroh chuckles.

"No, thank you for what you said. It helped me." Toph corrects him.

"I'm glad." Iroh smiles as she picks up her bag and beings to leave, but turns back around briefly.

"Oh, and about your nephew? Maybe you should tell him that you need _him_ and his girlfriend too." Toph advise. Iroh considers this advice as he takes a sip of his tea.

* * *

In the ghost town Aang and Azula still stand facing one another across the length of the town's main street. "Do you really want to fight me?" Azula questions the young Avatar feeling so sure of herself like always, when suddenly Zuko and Rin burst in between the two from an alley. Zuko tumbles off of their ostrich horse they ride landing in a crouched position while Rin gracefully climbs off.

"Yes," Zuko answers her question as he stands and throws his straw coolie hat away as Rin pulls her hood down.

"We really do." Both Rin and Zuko say together.

"Zuko! Rin!" Aang exclaims in surprise as he hadn't seen either of them in some time.

"I was wondering when you'd show u[, Zuzu, Rin." Azula acknowledges them.

" _Zuzu?_ " Aang questions laughing a bit at the new piece of information, Zuko and Rin get into a Firebending stance, Zuko facing Aang and Rin facing Azula.

"Back off, Azula! He's ours!" Rin yells at her annoyed.

"I'm not going anywhere." Azula replies in defiance and assumes her own Firebending stance. The four face off, they eye each other, looking to see who will make the first move, Zuko looks wary, Azula and Rin confident, and Aang worried. Zuko's eyes shift from side to side and he scrutinizes his opponent and looks at Rin feeling more confident with her by his side.

Azula launches a blast of her blue fire at the unsuspecting Zuko, but Rin blocks it with a wall of her own purple fire. Though she blocks the blast, it almost knocks her to the ground, but holds her own but knocks into Zuko making him crashing to the ground. Aang freaks out and jumps into the air with his glider, Azula and Rin knock him out of the sky with a wave of blue and purple fire. Aang lands safely on the ground, using his staff as a helicopter blade to both break his fall and dissipate the blue and purple fire in his immediate area.

Aang rolls over onto the ground to getting back up, but Azula makes a break past Rin and lands near Aang after jumping off a nearby roof. He avoids her, getting up with his staff, Rin helps Zuko back to his feet and they blast fire at Azula to stop her from getting the Avatar. Aang is between them now, Azula launches blast after blast of blue fire at Aang, but he dodges each one and runs around her. Several shots fly by in rapid succession as the four trade bending blasts but none land their target.

After a few moments, Azula chases Aang into the upper floor of a bombed out building, when the Princess enters, her expression turns to alarm. Inside there is no floor and the drop is sheer to the bottom, Aang is on the opposite from the door sitting on an air scooter. Azula leans precipitously over the edge on the side with the door, her arms flap around comically. Aang smiles at this and waves at her, Azula almost falls in, but recovers managing to regain stability on a ledge next to the doorframe.

Right after she recovers, Zuko runs in and promptly jumps into midair, screaming in surprise and hits the ground below with a crash, Rin stops at the door frame looking down at him. "Are you okay?" She asks down to him but just hears a grunt in response. Aang's scooter begins to dissipate, Azula fires several shots at him which all miss, he dissolves the rest of the scooter, bounds over to her on the ledge and knocks her off. She lands, gracefully and ready for action, next to Zuko who struggles to get up from where he lands. Rin looks down to the first floor and jumps somersaulting in mid-air before landing with a loud thud next to Zuko and helps him up.

Aang runs out of the door he originally entered through on the second floor, he runs down to the street level. Suddenly, the side of the building is blown open by a blast of blue fire and Zuko is blown out onto the street while a ball of purple fire stands in front of him.

Azula appears and starts firing blasts at Aang, he dodges each of them, jumping up between walls of a nearby alley, in effect scaling the buildings. As he reaches the top of the building on the left, Azula slices a triangular piece of it off with a blast of fire. The piece of the building falls out from under him, but he catches on to the remainder of the building. Azula repeats the process and this time Aang is unable to recover and falls into the building beneath a heap of rubble.

Aang looks up from the rubble in which is entombed him to the side the building, Azula enters and lights the rubble around the room on fire. Aang tries to free himself from being underneath a large bean but fails, Azula walks forward with a cruel smile. She assumes a bending stance, over her shoulder, Katara enters the doorway in the background.

Azula is hunched forward in a Firebending stance, her right hand raised to strike, when suddenly, a water whip grabs her by the hand poised to strike and yanks her backwards. Aang looks shocked at this new development, as the water whip appears and breaks the wooden beam that was trapping Aang, he smiles and rubs his wrist. "Katara!" Aang exclaims in glee, Azula whips around and fire a few blasts at Katara, who runs away. Azula pursues her out of the building as she passes an alley, Sokka jumps out at her slicing the air with his club, missing the Princess but breaks her pursuit of his sister. The Avatar, Sokka and Katara now form an arc around Azula and push her back into a corner.

Rin kneels down to Zuko as he still lies on the ground nearby, he wakes up slowly as his eyes blur looking at his Uncle and Rin with a burning building in the background. "Uncle…" Zuko groans.

"Get up," Iroh tells him and offers him a hand which Zuko takes and hauls himself to his feet standing next to Rin.

Azula launches herself at Aang, he jumps out of the way as the Princess and the three trade blasts and dance around each other, but it is clear that Azula is outgunned. She falls backwards in an orderly fashion when suddenly she is pushed to the ground from behind, revealing Toph. "I thought you guys could use a little help." Toph gleams at her friends.

"Thanks," Katara says with a genuine smile. Azula gets up and starts running, the others can't be seen, but she trades blasts with them, she turns around and runs down the alley. As she reaches the end of the alley she runs into Iroh's belly and bounces off, looking utterly confused.

Sokka, Aang, Katara, Toph, Zuko, Rin and Iroh close in on Azula, whose back is now in the corner of a burnt out building and has no place to go.

"Well, look at this. Enemies and traitors all working together. I'm done." Azula raises her hands in a gesture of surrender. "I know when I'm beaten. You got me. A princess surrender with honour." She tells them, Iroh shifts his gaze momentarily from Azula to the line-up of allies for the moment and sees Toph is among them. Azula sees that her Uncle is distracted and figures out the connection between the Earthbender and the Avatar's party. Taking advantage of this, she strikes her Uncle with a blast of blue fire square in the chest, Iroh spins in slow motion and falls to the ground, Zuko screams out in rage and devastation.

All five benders fire at Azula simultaneously and Sokka throws his boomerang, Azula makes a shield of blue fire, but the combined blows of the forces directed at her cause a tremendous explosion. Burning debris from the explosion begins to rain down, when the smoke clears, Azula is gone.

Nearby, Zuko kneels down in despair beside his Uncle, who lies still on the ground where he fell with Rin standing still in a protective stance keeping him safe. Iroh groans softly as Zuko clenches his fist and teeth in anger as the other approach from behind. He turns around to address Rin and sees the Avatar's party approaching them. "Get away from us!" Rin yells at them but Toph looks at her with watery eyes, Katara places a hand over her heart and stretches out the other in a gesture of aid freely offered.

"Rin, Zuko, I can help!" Katara tells them but Zuko turns around and is about to unleash a wave of fire but is beaten by Rin who creates a circle of fire surrounding the Firebenders.

"Leave!" Zuko yells at them, Katara and Aang look at each other in worry and the four leave Zuko, Rin and his Uncle amidst the burning buildings and flames.

* * *

Appa lands on a mountainside somewhere with the four sleeping peacefully, Toph and Katara next to each other.

* * *

The next morning, the group are flying through the sky, Toph looks out into the sky thinking about their encounter with Rin, Zuko and Iroh and what she had felt from the female Firebender. "Hey, Katara, what colour was the girl's fire?" She asks the Water Tribe girl.

"Which one?" Katara asks, "Because if you mean the one we were all fighting it was blue but if you mean the one with Zuko hers was purple, why'd you ask?"

"She's powerful, way more powerful for any human." She tells them and they all look at her as if wondering what the blind Earthbender had felt in the presence of that one girl that they couldn't sense.

 **A/N: Merry Christmas From DeadGirlEternal and I know this is well overdue but I have been struggling to write and work at the same time but I finally got it done, the next one is on its way as you read. I hope you like please, Comment, Favourite and Follow read ya soon.**


	7. Bitter Peace

_"Water... Earth... Fire... Air…" Katara voices over as the benders demonstrate as she talks. "My grandmother used to tell me stories about the old days, a time of peace when the Avatar kept the balance between the Water Tribes, Earth Kingdom, Fire Nation, and Air Nomads. But that all changed when the Fire Nation attacked." It journeys into the map showing the world and closes in on a bender displaying all the elements. "Only the Avatar mastered all four elements. Only he could stop the ruthless firebenders. But when the world needed him most, he vanished." He disappears from sight. "A hundred years have passed and the Fire Nation is nearing victory in the war. Two years ago, my father and the men of my tribe journeyed to the Earth Kingdom to help fight against the Fire Nation, leaving me and my brother to look after our tribe." It shows the Water Tribe men on their boats and Katara hugging her older brother Sokka holding up a lantern. "Some people believe that the Avatar was never reborn into the Air Nomads and that the cycle is broken, but I haven't lost hope. I still believe that somehow the Avatar will return to save the world."_

 **Bitter Peace**

 _There is a single tree on a grassy hill, Iroh runs up the hill with his son Lu Ten behind him, Lu Ten does a pretend Firebending motion with his hands. "I got you, dad!" He laugh, Iroh lets out a cry of pain as he falls to the ground, Lu ten falls on top of him and they both laugh._

* * *

 _Rain falls onto a stone object, an older Iroh with a look of pain on his face as he sits on the same hill in front of his son's grave with the tree leafless and the sky is a gloomy dark red colour. "My beloved Lu Ten, I will see you again," Iroh promises._

* * *

"Uncle!" Zuko yells out at him with a look of concern, as he looks down at him, in a deserted, broken-down shack still in the ghost town.

"You were unconscious. Azula did this to you." Rin tells him from the doorway with a stranger clad in black, who nods at the men before leaving. Iroh attempts to get up but winces in pain, a bandage covers the left side of his chest and shoulder. "My friend helped out, no need for thanks." She tells him pointing behind her where the stranger had once stood.

"It was a surprise attack," Zuko the subject, as he was still cautious of the stranger who had healed his Uncle with Waterbending.

"Somehow, that's not so surprising." Iroh muses, and grunts in pain as he moves to lean up against the wall, Zuko picks up a steaming cup and hands it over to Iroh.

"I hope I made it the way you like it," Zuko tells him, Iroh looks at Rin to sees a grimace on her face, and he takes a sip from the cup, his eyes widen letting out a cry of disgust, but manages to mask it.

"Mmm, good." Iroh lies and takes another sip with a grunt. "That was very, uhh… bracing!"

"Liar," Rin whispers with a smile as Zuko hands him another cup and tosses it out of the window when his nephew isn't looking followed by Rin giggling to herself.

"So Uncle, I've been thinking. It's only a matter of time before I run into Azula again. I'm going to need to know more advanced Firebending if I want to stand a chance against her like Rin. I know what you're going to say: she's my sister and I should be trying to get along with her." Zuko remarks.

"No, she's crazy, Rin will agree to that and she needs to go down," Iroh replies, Zuko nods at this and looks behind him to see Rin nodding too, a grunt from Iroh makes their heads snap to face him as he stands up. "It's time to resume your training. Rin get your gear ready." He requests, Rin nods to him again before making her exit. "What do you know about the stranger she brought here?" He asks his nephew.

"Not much, I know he's a Waterbender and older than us and she saved his life another one of her spies," Zuko explains.

"He was dying in battle a few years back, he needed medical attention, I got it for him. He vowed to serve me in this life and the next and I saw an opportunity and I took it. He studies medicine now and you needed help both Zuko and I are useless at that sort of thing now rest you will need it." Rin advises him as she makes herself known and she looks out the window as if feeling something change in the wind.

* * *

Zuko, Iroh, Rin sit inside the decrepit building with Zuko sitting in front of Iroh with Rin by his side and a pot of tea sitting on a small fire between them. "Lightning is a pure expression of Firebending, without aggression. It is not fueled by rage or emotion the way other Firebending is. Some call lightning the cold-blooded fire." Iroh explains to his nephew and takes the tea kettle off of the fire, pouring it into another pot, he then begins to pour three cups. "It is precise and deadly, like Azula, even Rin at times." Zuko looks at Rin, he had never seen her Lightning bend yet but knew she was, in fact, deadly to others he had seen it first hand. "To perform the technique requires peace of mind." He hands one of the cups to Zuko and the other to Rin.

"I see. That's why we're drinking tea: To calm the mind." Zuko quotes.

"Oh yeah, good point! I mean, yes." Iroh corrects himself before looking at Rin who nods at him.

* * *

Outside the building, Zuko and Rin stand on the edge of a hill overlooking the valley with a walled, abandoned city at the bottom and Iroh sitting down behind them. "There is energy all around us. The energy is both Yin and Yang, positive energy and negative energy." Iroh holds up one finger on each hand t stand for the two forms of energy. "Only a select few Firebenders can separate these energies. This creates an imbalance. The energy wants to restore balance and in a moment the positive and negative energy come crashing back together." He brings his hands together to illustrate his point. "You provide release and guidance, creating lightning, Rin will show you." He explains and holds his hand out, signalling for Zuko to step away from Rin. She begins to Lightning bend moving her right hand to her side and with two fingers extended begins to create lightning by rotating her arm in a circular motion around her body. She mimics the motion with her left arm, Zuko watches on impressed by the graceful way she moves then lunges forward with her right hand extended and shoots lightning into the distance.

"I'm ready to try it!" Zuko exclaims, feeling ready for this new technique after seeing a Master Firebender like Rin, Iroh rubs at his injured shoulder slightly.

"Remember, once you separate the energy, you do not command it. You are simply its humble guide. Breathe first." Rin instructs, Zuko breathes in and closes his eyes then begins to mimic the motions that Rin performed, except that he does not create traces of lightning. He shouts out and shoves his right hand forward, but it merely causes a fiery explosion that shoves him backwards into Rin who holds him steady and Iroh shakes his head slightly at this.

* * *

Zuko begins training in the abandoned village, with a smoking hill can be seen in the distance as Zuko keeps getting blown back by an explosion. He has a look of frustration on his face and clenches his fists in annoyance as Iroh looks on while leaning against the building with Rin sitting next to him in the background. "Why can't I do it? Instead of lightning, it keeps exploding in my face! Like everything always does!" Zuko fumes, Iroh looks to Rin and she looks back at him then get up from her stop and walks over to Zuko as he stands back up.

"We were afraid this might happen. You will not be able to master lightning until you have dealt with the turmoil inside you." Rin remarks and he turns to her with a look of anger on his face.

"What turmoil?" Zuko bellows in frustration and rage but his face changes to one of confusion looking at her.

"Zuko, you must let go of your feelings of shame if you want your anger to go away," Rin advises him wanting what is best for the young Prince.

"But I don't feel any shame at all! I'm as proud as ever!" Zuko exclaims.

"Prince Zuko, pride is not the opposite of shame, but its source. True humility is the only antidote to shame." Iroh replies wisely.

"Well… our lives have been nothing but humbling lately." Zuko mumbles as Iroh looks to the side.

"I have another idea. I will teach you a Firebending move that even Azula or Rin do not know because I made it up myself!" Iroh tells him and points his thumb toward himself and smirks slightly, the young Prince too smiles at this thought at he would best Azula in some way but think of Rin, she was powerful could he best her?

* * *

Iroh draws the symbols of each of the bending disciplines in the dirt with a stick as he explains with to Zuko who sits cross-legged, observing intently with Rin leaning over his shoulder watching the old man. "Fire is the element of power. The people of the Fire Nation have desire and will, and the energy and drive to achieve what they want. Earth is the element of substance. The people of the Earth Kingdom are diverse and strong. They are persistent and enduring. Air is the element of freedom. The Air Nomads detached themselves from worldly concerns and found peace and freedom. Also, they apparently had a pretty good sense of humour!" He jokes smiling widely, but Zuko doesn't react and Rin covers her mouth to stop the giggling. "Water is the element of change. The people of the Water Tribe are capable of adapting to many things. They have a sense of community and love that holds them together through anything." He finishes off his explanation of the four elements.

"What are you telling me these things?" Zuko asks his Uncle unsure of where this is going.

"It is important to draw wisdom from many different places. If we take it from only one place, it becomes rigid and stale." Iroh draws lines separating the four symbols in the dirt. "Understanding others, the other elements, and the other nations will help you become whole." He tells him.

"All this four elements talk is sounding like Avatar stuff." Rin remarks as she looks at the former General.

"It is the combination of the four elements in one person that makes the Avatar so powerful. But, it can make you more powerful too." He pokes Zuko in the chest with his stick. "You see, the technique I am about to teach you both is one I learned by studying the Waterbenders." He tells them and the two teens look at each other intrigued by this.

* * *

Iroh, Zuko and Rin practice the Waterbending moves outside a small building in the abandoned town. "Waterbenders deal with the flow of energy. A waterbender lets their defence become their offence, turning their opponent's' energy against them. I learned a way to do this with lightning." Iroh tells the two teens.

"You can teach us to redirect lightning?" Zuko asks excitedly and he nods in response.

"If you let the energy in your own body flow, the lightning will follow it." He points with his right arm at an angle into the air and points at it with his other hand. "You must create a pathway from your fingertips up your arm to your shoulder and down into your stomach." He moves his left hand from his arm to his shoulder, then to his stomach. "The stomach is the source of energy in your body. It is called the Sea of Chi. only in my case, it is more like a vast ocean." He laughs but Zuko remains stoic as Rin slightly giggles making Zuko's lips twitch. "You direct it up again and out the other arm." He points off into the distance with his left arm. "The stomach detour is critical. You must not let the lightning pass through your heart," He walks up to the teens and points his finger at Zuko's chest. "Or the damage could be deadly. You may wish to try a physical motion to get a feel for the pathway's flow. Like this." He points to the left with both his arms and the teens mimic the motion, he then takes his right arm and points it in the other direction and the teens copy the move as well. Iroh, Rin and Zuko then move their left arms to the right and back again. "Now, are you focusing your energy? Can you feel your own Chi flowing in, down, up, and out?" He asks them.

"I think so." Zuko answers.

"Yes," Rin answers, Zuko looks at her feeling happy she was getting but couldn't understand why he couldn't. He continues to mimic the motions Iroh showed them and he begins to move his arms in waving motions at his sides.

"Come on. You've got to feel the flow." Iroh tells the young Prince.

Later in the evening, Zuko, Rin and Iroh are still practising the motions when Iroh suddenly stops with Rin and both of them stand in front of Zuko. "Excellent! You've got it!" Iroh cheers and Zuko bows slightly, putting his hands together.

"Great! I'm ready to try it with real lightning!" Zuko cheers but this gets a questioning look from the two Firebending Masters.

"What, are you crazy? Lightning is very dangerous." Rin exclaims worried about the man she loves.

"I thought that was the point;" He replies annoyed and looks at Iroh whose eyes twitch as Zuko continues. "You teaching me how to protect myself from it."

"But we're not going to shoot lightning at you!" Rin exclaims frantically and waves her arms around defensively and she turns away from Zuko then looks at him out of the corner of her eye.

"If you are lucky, you will never have to use this technique at all," Iroh tells them and Zuko gazes off at dark clouds in the distance.

"Well, if you won't help me, I'll find my own lightning," Zuko tells them and Iroh closes his eyes trembling a bit and looks to Rin who watches as Zuko rides off into the distance on his ostrich horse.

"I have to go after him," Rin announces suddenly and goes over to her bag bringing out a chain scythe.

"Where did you get that, my dear?" Iroh questions and looks at the weapon.

"My friend gave it to me, he heard I was missing a weapon and gave me a new one." She replies and twists the scythe pole and pulls it apart, as it grows longer the chain shortens and becomes a full-length scythe. "He had it specially made for me as we are still being hunted by Azula and others." She looks over at Iroh and to the dark clouds. "I have to keep him safe, if anything were to happen to him, I couldn't live on anymore." She whispers.

"Go, I will be waiting for you both." He tells her and she gets up with her weapon in hand and runs out in the same direction as Zuko.

* * *

On the mountain during a rainstorm, Zuko stands at the peak of the mountain staring up at the clouds above him. "You've always thrown everything you could at me! Well, I can take it! And now I can give it back!" Zuko roars out defiantly to the heavens and lightning strikes in the distance, rain pours down his face as he glances up at the sky. "Come on! Strike me! You've never held back before!" He roars on and closes his eyes and a stream of tears begin to flow from his good eyes and raises his arms up then shouts before collapsing onto his hands and knees. Zuko looks down at the dirt when he feels two arms wrap around him.

"You're not alone anymore." He hears Rin whisper into his ear and squeezes him tightly to her as they move into a sitting position. "I won't leave you, I promise." She vows and continues to hold onto him tightly.

* * *

They finally make it off of the mountain dripping water as they make their way back to the abandoned town, Rin continues her hold on Zuko as they ride closer, she didn't want to let go of him.

* * *

They make it back to the town with Iroh waiting for them in the same building they were in before, the two teens walk in still sopping wet from the rainstorm on the mountain and walk towards the fire burning in the middle of the room. The teens don't let go of each other even as they finally fell asleep for the night, they never moved away from one another the whole night.

* * *

The morning came and the three FIrebenders make their way riding on their ostrich-horse through a small cleft in the valley but Iroh seems in discomfort. "Maybe we should make camp," Rin suggests from the front feeling his discomfort levels rising the longer they ride.

"No, please, don't stop for me!" Iroh yells out in a pained voice as he lets out several more pained groans. Rin pulls on the reigns of the ostrich-horse, stopping it in its tracks, they all dismount, Iroh groans taking a seat on a large flat rock. The ostrich-horse perks up, pricking its ears, clearly detecting something unusual, Zuko and Rin take a defensive posture. "What now?" He asks annoyed when the Rough Rhinos streak through the foliage around the Firebenders. Colonel Mongke's rhino stamps the ground forcefully, breaking the surface crust. He pulls back on the rhino's reigns and the two teens continue their defensive posture, Iroh brightens and places a hand on both Rin and Zuko's shoulder. "Colonel Mongke! What a pleasant surprise!" He cheers.

"If you're surprised we're here then Dragon of the West has lost a few steps." Colonel Mongke remarks with a stern look emphasizing his remark by making sparks with his braces and his men ready their weapons.

"You know these guys?" Zuko asks his Uncle surprised.

"Sure. Colonel Mongke and the Rough Riders are legendary. Each one is a different kind of weapons specialist. They are also a very capable singing group. I'm sure you've heard of them Rin?" Iroh asks looking at the young former General who nods her head in response.

"We're not here to give a concert. We're here to apprehend fugitives!" Mongke exclaims.

"Would you like some tea first? I'd love some. How about you, Kachi? I make you as a jasmine man. Am I right?" Iroh asks them trying to distract them.

"Enough stalling! Round 'em up!" Mongke orders his men, the dark-skinned, ponytailed fighter swings his ball and chain at Iroh, he kicks the ball away. The ball gets redirected, wrapping its chain around the foot of another warrior's rhino, Iroh dodges the fire blasts by tumbling along the ground.

"Wasn't he moaning a few seconds ago?" Rin asks Zuko who nods as they watch him rises back up to swat the rump of the rhino that has been chained, the rhino runs off, yanking the dark-skinned warrior who had one end of the chain attached to his belt as well as its own rider, Iroh just waves as he watches them go.

The archer shoots a lit arrow at Zuko's back, he senses the arrow in time to turn and break the arrow apart as it approaches him. Zuko then lets a fire blast loose, which burns a hole in the archer's bow, a hand's width above the archer's hand, the blast passes through the bow and breaks the string.

Mongke lets lose fire blast after fire blast at Iroh, but he doesn't see them in time, Rin jumps into the path deflecting each of them. Zuko runs up and jumps on the back of Mongke's rhino behind him, a brief duel ensues, with Mongke quickly being kicked off the rhino by Zuko.

Iroh runs up to the ostrich horse, jumping up on the saddle, he rides by Rin who hops onto the back as they make their way to Zuko. Zuko jumps from Mongke's rhino into the middle of the saddle as Iroh gallops by, with Rin wrapping her arms around his waist.

The armoured warrior, riding in pursuit, throwing a grenade at the fleeing ostrich horse, the grenade explodes ahead of the ostrich horse, but they are able to ride through the explosion. "It's nice to see old friends." Iroh muses looking back at the two teens.

"Too bad you don't have any friends that don't want to attack you." Zuko comments.

"Hmm… old friends that don't want to attack me…" Iroh muses to himself.

"They weren't old friends." Rin snaps hiding her face in Zuko's back.

"Tired or hungry?" Zuko asks her, she looks up at him.

"Hungry." She answers and he looks in his bag for any food.

"Sorry, we'll stop and get some food soon, I promise." He tells her but she just hugs him closer to herself.

"I just need you I promise." She whispers.

* * *

At the ice spring from the oasis, various people stand around it. "Yeah, a little barefoot blind girl and her friends passed through here a few days ago." A man tells two men.

"Did they give you any indication where they were headed?" Master Yu asks the man.

"Maybe you could give me a little incentive?" The man bribes.

"You suggesting I break your fingers?" Xin Fu asks the man as if clueless to the bribe the man really wanted.

"They went in the desert! Too bad there's almost no chance they survived." The man answers.

"That's okay since she's wanted dead or alive." Xin Fu replies.

"No, she's not! I'm certain her father wants her alive." Master Yu argues.

"Hey, look… Fire Nation wanted posters!" Xin Fu changes the subject, to several wanted posters on a bulletin board, the middle poster has an illustration of Zuko and Iroh and the one next to it is of Rin and Shai.

"So-" Master Yu begins to say.

"So, look who's here." Xin Fu tells him and turns his head to look at Zuko, Iroh and Rin as they walk towards a different building.

* * *

Zuko, Iroh and Rin sit at a table inside the at the ice springs seeming to be waiting. "No one here is going to help us. These people just look like filthy wanderers." Zuko argues.

"So do we." Iroh points over to an old, bald man sitting at a Pai Sho table. "Ah, this is interesting. I think I've found our friend." He tells the two teens.

"You brought us here to gamble on Pai Sho?" Rin asks him a little confused as to why he would want to come here.

"I don't think this is a gamble." Iroh replies and they get up from their seats and walk over to the Pai Sho table. Xin Fu and Master Yu sit on a bench watching the three fugitives make their way over to the table.

"Let's take them now!" Xin Fu exclaims wanting to grab them.

"This place is full of desperate characters. If they find out we're collecting a bounty, we might have to fight them all just to keep our prize. Patience." Master Yu tells his companion and the three Firebenders approach the Pai Sho table.

"May I have this game?" Iroh asks the man.

" The guest has the first move." The Pai Sho Player remarks and Iroh places the Lotus tile in the middle of the board. "I see you favour the White Lotus gambit. Not many still cling to the ancient ways.".

"Those who do can always find a friend." Iroh comments.

"Then let us play." The Pai Sho Player states and places another tile on the board, Iroh quickly places another title as well. Zuko and Rin sit down watching intently as the two men place title after tile on the board at a rapid pace. When they are done, the tiles form the shape of a Lotus, with the Lotus title in the centre of the board. "Welcome, brother. The White Lotus opens wide to those who know her secrets."

"What are those old gasbags talking about?" Zuko asks Rin, but she just shrugs her shoulders as she was just as confused.

"I always tried to tell you that Pai Sho is more than just a game," Iroh tells the younger ones and rolls a title over his knuckles and clutches it.

"I'm not waiting all night for these geezers to finish yapping! It's over! You three fugitives are coming with me!" Xin Fu shouts gaining too much attention.

"I knew it! You three are wanted criminals with a giant bounty on your heads!" The Pai Sho Player yells out.

"I thought you said he would help!" Rin yells at Iroh as she didn't want to fight as she was too tired and hungry.

"He is. Just watch." Iroh tells her calmly.

"You think you're going to capture them and collect all that gold?" The Pai Sho Player asks Xin Fu.

"Gold?" A man at the bar asks more intrigued by this mentioned word and all the men in the bar look up and several of them pull out knives approaching the ground around the Pai Sho table.

"Uh… Maybe we shouldn't." Master Yu says hesitantly then two men jump in front of Xin Fu, the Earthbender spins around and delivers a reverse roundhouse kick, bending a rock from the ground which knocks the two men away. Master Yu enters his stance and bends the Earth underneath one of the assailants, causing him to sink into the ground up to his neck.

Xin Fu handles a group of Sandbenders, he has one lifted in the air with one hand and holds back another Sandbender with the other hand. Xin Fu kicks any other Sandbender that comes near him, he twists his waist throwing the two Sandbenders he's holding, one flies and smashes into the wall behind the bartender.

Zuko, Iroh, Rin and the Pai Sho Player run out of the building while the fight continues on as Xin Fu and Master Yu go into their stances. The two Earthbenders have knocked out nearly everyone in the bar, but have let their bounty escape. Xin Fu growls in anger and punches both of his fists downwards, causing a pillar of rock to shoot out from under one of the downed Sandbenders, he yells as he flies through the window and hits a palm tree outside.

* * *

Zuko, Rin and Iroh make it to a small village near the edge of the desert with the Pai Sho Player and enter one of the buildings. The Pai Sho Player makes sure that no one is watching before shutting the door behind him.

* * *

Inside the building, it becomes apparent that they have entered a flower shop. "It is an honour to welcome such a high-ranking member of the Order of the White Lotus. Being a Grand Master, you must know so many secrets." The Pai Sho Player gushes at Iroh but the teens just look confused.

"Now that you plated Pai Sho, are you going to do some flower arranging, or is this club going to offer some _real_ help?" Zuko asks them rudely, which earns a slap on the arm from Rin.

"You must forgive my nephew. He is not an initiate and has little appreciation for the cryptic arts." Iroh apologises for his nephew and the Pai Sho Player knocks on a door in the back, a small window in the middle slides open and a man peeks through.

"Who knocks at the guarded gate?" The Doorman asks them.

"One who has eaten the fruit and tasted its mysteries." Iroh answers, the door opens, Iroh and the Pai Sho Player enter the room but Zuko and Rin attempt to follow them, but the door is shut in their faces. The window on the door slides open because of Iroh as he looks out at the two teens. "I'm afraid it's members only. Wait out here." He tells the two, Zuko frowns and crosses his arms, Rin kisses him on the cheek calming him down somewhat. He leans over to a nearby plant and sniffs at it, he sees a rose and takes one putting it in Rin's hair before sharing a loving kiss.

Sometime later still inside the flower shop, Zuko and Rin have fallen asleep while waiting for Iroh's business to be done. The back door opens and Iroh steps out, causing Zuko to wake up and go into a defensive stance while Rin groggily gets to her feet. "What's going on? Is the club meeting over?" Rin asks the old man.

"Everything is taken care of. We're heading to Ba-Sing-Se." Iroh tells the two teen, Zuko seems surprised but Rin looks worried.

"Ba-Sing-Se? Why would we go to the Earth Kingdom capital?" Rin asks the old man not wanting to go.

"The city is filled with refugees. No one will notice three more." The Pai Sho Player reasons.

"We can hide in plain sight there. And it's the safest place in the world from the Fire Nation. Even I couldn't break through the city." Iroh says but Rin still isn't too sure about this idea, the door opens and a man steps inside the flower shop.

"I have the passports for our guests, but there are two men out on the streets looking for them." The White Lotus Member announces to the ground as Xin Fu and Master Yu stand outside from behind the small window in the door. Xin Fu holds up two wanted posters to a man walking past them.

"You seen these guys?" Xin Fu asks as the three fugitives look through the window and turn to each other and give questioning looks.

* * *

Outside the flower shop, the three fugitives are staying in, out of the door steps a man pulls a small wooden wagon with three large flower pots on it. After he leaves, Xin Fu and Master Yu approach the door, Xin Fu bursts the door open. This causes a flower pot hanging overhead to fall and shatter onto the ground, Xin Fu holds up the wanted posters to the florist tending the plants. "Hey you, where are these men and woman? I got a tip that they're in your shop." Xin Fu demands.

"As you can see, no one is here but us." The Florist replies calmly.

"We know all about your secret back room." Master Yu states. "Kick it down." He orders Xin Fu.

"Hey! That room is for flowers only!" The Florist exclaims as Xin Fu runs at the door and slams his foot into it, knocking down the whole door frame and the stone around it. Xin Fu and Master Yu discover the room to be empty, save for a circle of mats and a Pai Sho Lotus tile in the middle, Master Yu picks it up.

"Some unlucky soul has an incomplete Pai Sho set." Master Yu comments, Xin Fu growls in anger and knicks the title out of his hand.

"Let's go back to finding the girl!" He roars.

* * *

The man with the wooden wagon pulls the three large pits over some sand dunes just outside the village, from under the flowers in the three pots are Zuko, Rin and Iroh, they poke their heads out and take a brief look around before sinking back into their hiding spots.


	8. Us Apart

" _Water... Earth... Fire... Air…" Katara voices over as the benders demonstrate as she talks. "My grandmother used to tell me stories about the old days, a time of peace when the Avatar kept the balance between the Water Tribes, Earth Kingdom, Fire Nation, and Air Nomads. But that all changed when the Fire Nation attacked." It journeys into the map showing the world and closes in on a bender displaying all the elements. "Only the Avatar mastered all four elements. Only he could stop the ruthless Firebenders. But when the world needed him most, he vanished." He disappears from sight. "A hundred years have passed and the Fire Nation is nearing victory in the war. Two years ago, my father and the men of my tribe journeyed to the Earth Kingdom to help fight against the Fire Nation, leaving me and my brother to look after our tribe." It shows the Water Tribe men on their boats and Katara hugging her older brother Sokka holding up a lantern. "Some people believe that the Avatar was never reborn into the Air Nomads and that the cycle is broken, but I haven't lost hope. I still believe that somehow the Avatar will return to save the world."_

 **Us Apart**

Three ships, lying side by side, as the centre vessel launches, it emerges from the inlet and out onto the great lake. On one of the ship's deck, Iroh looks out at the water. "Who would have thought, after all these years, I'd return to the scene of my greatest military… as a tourist." Iroh muses solemnly as he says the last bit, he turns to Zuko and Rin, putting on a flowered straw hat and a wide grin.

"Look around, we're not tourists, we're refugees." Rin retorts and Zuko sips from a wooden bowl.

"Ugh!" Zuko groans in disgust spitting over the railing. "I'm sick of eating rotten food, sleeping in the dirt… I'm tired of living like this." He leans on the railing sadly, Rin joins him.

"Aren't we all?" Jet asks with his usual stalk of prairie grass, leading to the silhouette of Jet's face as he adopts a sly grin. "My name's Jet and these are my freedom fighters, Smellerbee, and Longshot." Jet introduces himself and friends, he steps out toward the rail, his companions behind him.

"Hey." Smellerbee greets and Longshot nods in greeting.

"Hello." Zuko greets looking out over the lake.

"Yo," Rin greets and raises her hand to them.

"Here's the deal. I hear the Captain's eating like a king, while us refugees have to feed off his scraps. Doesn't seem fair, does it?" Jet proposes stepping closer.

"What sort of 'king' is he eating like?" Iroh asks the boy.

"The fat, happy kind." At this Iroh's mouth is agape drooling. "You want to help us 'liberate' some food?" Jet asks Zuko, he stares down into at the bowl of gruel then looks at Rin, considering for a moment before hurling the bowl over the railing and takes Rin's hand.

"We're in," Zuko tells him turning around to face Jet

* * *

The Earth Kingdom ferry cruising beneath a moonlit sky, on the upper deck a guard passes by a lantern, Zuko stealthily leads Jet and Smellerbee upstairs and around the corner. They pause to look in the kitchen window, then slip around back, Rin is waiting for them by the door, they all pause in shock but get back to forcing the lock while Smellerbee keeps watching for guards, Zuko, Rin and Jet burst into the kitchen. Jet sweeps several hanging bird carcasses into a sack, Zuko uses his swords to nimbly stack eight bowls of food together, securing the stack with a ribbon while Rin grabs some bottles and the boys shoulder their sacks and turn to the doorway. "Guards coming!" Smellerbee whisper-yells to them and the four of them rush to the balcony edge, Longshot fires a line-strung arrow into the railing. Both bundles slide down the line, followed by the two freedom fighters and the arrow pulls free too soon leaving the FIrebenders behind. Rin gets out her Chain Scythe and jumps over the railing attaching the end as she swings and takes Zuko by the hand. They all make it in time as another lantern-bearing guard walks past and they make their way to safety.

* * *

The ferry, passing in the calm waters, on the main deck Jet passes out food to the thankful passengers. Iroh, Rin and Zuko sit eating their food with Longshot and Smellerbee. "So, Smellerbee, that's an unusual name for a young man." Iroh comments.

"Maybe it's because I'm not a man. I'm a girl!" Smellerbee retorts peeved and shoots Iroh a look, she gets up and walks off.

"Oh, now I see! It's a beautiful name for a lovely girl!" Iroh calls after her, Longshot quickly rises following after her and catching up with her, he places a hand on her shoulder, he steps in front of her, giving her a hard look.

"I know. You're right. As long as I'm confident with who I am, it doesn't matter what other people think. Thanks, Longshot." Smellerbee repeats, he nods a stern approval.

Zuko, Rin and Iroh sit down on the deck conversing with themselves when Jet sits down next to them calmly. "From what I heard, people eat like this every night in Ba-Sing-Se. I can't wait to set my eyes on that giant wall." Jet beams at them as he talks.

"It is a magnificent sight." Iroh agrees.

"Not really, it's just a wall," Rin grumbles not wanting to see the cause of painful memories.

"So you've been there before?" Jet asks the two.

"Once, when I was a different man," Iroh replies and looks away with regret.

"No, someone I knew did," Rin replies looking down at her hands with a look of hurt and grief.

"I've done some things in my past that I'm not proud of. But that's why I'm going to Ba-Sing-Se, for a new beginning. A second chance." Jet glances around the boat full of people.

"That's very noble of you. I believe people can change their lives if they want to. I believe in second chances." Iroh shares a meaningful glance with Zuko, while Jet studies them both, Rin finds it the prime time to leave the group, making it stand looking over the sailing at the vast scenery in front of her as a single tear falls down into the water below.

* * *

The ferry makes progress through the early morning mist, Zuko stands at the prow with RIn in his arms as they look towards the nearing shoreline and Jet approaches them from behind. "You know, as soon as I saw your scar, I know exactly who you were." Jet announces, Zuko glances warily at Jet who stands next to them. "You're an outcast, like me. And us outcasts have to stick together. We have to watch each other's backs because no one else will."

"I've realized lately, that being on your own isn't always the best path," Zuko replies grimly pulling Rin closer in a sign of comfort as the rocky cliff of the opposite shore come into full view, and behind them a looming wall.

* * *

The ferry finally lands on the other side, inside the ticket gate, a sour, heavy set Earth Kingdom official woman with a large hairy mole above her eyebrow, looks over Iroh, Rin and Zuko's papers dubiously. "So, Mr Lee, Miss. Kyo, and Mr…. um Mushy is it?" The Customs Lady asks sounding unpleasant.

It's pronounced Moo-shee." Iroh corrects her in a kind tone, but she looks up from the papers angrily.

"You telling me how to do my job?" She asks him angrily and frustrated.

"Oh, no no no," Iroh tells her stepping closer to her speaking charmingly. "But may I just say that you're like a flower in blood, your beauty is intoxicating." He charms her with a sweet tone.

"You're pretty easy on the eyes yourself handsome." The Customs Lady smiles taking the charming words. "Raorrr." She makes a cat-claw gesture. "Welcome to Ba-Sing-Se." She stamps their papers and pushes them to their owners.

"I'm gonna forget I saw that." Zuko remarks snatching his and Rin's papers from Iroh disgustedly.

"Can we just go," Rin asks and begins to walk away with the two men following behind her, as they step past the ticket gate. Rin gets the feeling someone is watching them and looks around the busy station to see Jet observing them, she puts on a fake smile and waves before making it out of sight.

"I think Lee and Kyo would make good Freedom Fighters. They're just trying to find their way in the world, like us." Jet tells his friends as they stand in the ticket line.

"You don't know anything about them Jet." Smellerbee reasons with him, not wanting any trouble.

"I know he didn't get that scar from a Waterbender." Jet retorts as he holds his signature grass stalk to his mouth, he wanted for power and he knew that 'Kyo' and 'Lee' would give him that.

"Besides, I thought we were going straight now?" Smellerbee asks him remembering what he had said to them.

"We are, and the new Freedom Fighters could use a guy like Lee and a _Woman_ like Kyo. What do you think Longshot?" Jet asks his other friend shrugging his shoulders at the first part, he knew that 'Lee' and 'Kyo' were together but he couldn't help look at her and want something like her, and thoughts of Katara were long forgotten when thinking of 'Kyo'. He snaps out of his thoughts still looking at Longshot who shoots him a meaningful look.

"I can respect that." Jet replies and moves forward in the line still thinking of the two joining them and maybe taking something for himself. Maybe the old Jet wasn't all gone.

* * *

In a large stone train station called the Debarkation point for Ba-Sing-Se, people mill about in groups all around the platform. With Iroh, Zuko and Rin sit at a waiting area sitting down, Iroh with his arms crossed next to Zuko who holds Rin's hand in his tightly feeling each other discomfort when Jet casually sits down next to Zuko. "So, you guys got plans once you're inside the city?" Jet asks the fellow travellers.

"Get your hot tea here! Finest tea in Ba-Sing-Se!" A Tea Peddler advertises as he walks around the platform, all four look up to see a tea merchant pushing a concession cart in front of them.

"Oh! Jasmine, please." Iroh waves him down and the peddler pours tea into Iroh's bowl, he is delighted and takes a sip from his bowl. His eyes widen in shock at the tea and spits it out in disgust. "Blaugh! Ugh. Coldest tea in Ba-Sing-Se is more like it. What a disgrace!" Iroh barks upset at the fact it was bad tea and he loves his tea, Rin walks over to the older man and comforts him by taking the bowl from his hand and they share a look with hidden meaning in their eyes.

"Hey, can I talk to you for a second?" Jet asks the teenager, he gestures for Zuko to follow him as he seems to be ignoring the two others, he rises reluctantly from his seat and signs and walks away from where the other two Firebenders sit. "You and I have a much better chance of making it in the city if we stick together, with Kyo of course. You want to join the Freedom Fighters?" Jet proposes his thought, he wants someone like Zuko and Rin but knows nothing about them.

"Thanks, but I don't think you want us in your gang." Zuko declines his offer due to the fact he couldn't leave his Uncle again and that they were Fire Nation.

"Come on, we made a great team looting that Captain's food. Think of all the good we could do for these refugees." Jet tries to persuade the dark haired teen.

"I said no," Zuko replies firmly, he didn't want to get him and Rin mixed with anything that could cause trouble, they needed to stay under the radar and turns walking back towards Iroh and Rin where he was safe.

"Have it your way." Jet says mildly surprised, usually it was the other way, he focuses in on Iroh, who carefully enjoys his tea now steaming vigorously in his cup. Jet suddenly bristles his eyes open wide in shock, realizing what he is seeing.

Reaching Iroh and Rin, Zuko looks back toward Jet, who now wears a look of hostile suspicion on his face at the scene in front of him, Jet turns around and walks off thinking of ways to show people that those three were Firebenders.

Watching Jet walk away, Zuko abruptly turn away and smashes the cup of tea from his uncle's hand. "Told you!" Rin exclaims sitting back down as she stood next to the older man.

"Hey!" Iroh exclaims in surprise at his nephew's actions.

"What are you doing Firebending your tea?! For a wise old man, that was pretty stupid move." Zuko whispers through gritted teeth at his Uncle, he shares a look with Rin.

"I turned my back for two seconds, I swear," Rin tells him, she looks back at Zuko with pleading eyes, he takes her into his arms in comfort for them both.

"I know you're not supposed to cry over spilled tea, but…" Iroh cries out mournfully sniffling and looks down at the cup in a puddle of tea. "That's so sad." The two teens just look at him in confusion but continue to ignore him as they stay in their own world together.

* * *

The train soon arrives to take everyone to the Great City Ba-Sing-Se. "Last call for Ba-Sing-Se!" The Conductor calls out, Jet strides angrily towards the train, flanked by Smellerbee and Longshot.

"Jet, relax! So the old guy had some hot tea. Big deal." Smellerbee tries reasoning with her friend but once Firebenders were in his head they never left.

"He heated it himself! Those guys are Firebenders." Jet roars, he knew what he saw and he needed proof. Iroh, Zuko, and Rin board a car as the three Freedom Fighters watch them. Het raises his collar, and Longshot pulls down his hat as they attempt to look inconspicuous as they board a few cars down.

Zuko, Iroh and Rin enter the car where a family sit by themselves, Zuko sits down with his arms crossed, still obviously angry at what Iroh had done earlier. Iroh sits down between Zuko and the woman, he glances at his nephew before leaning over and smiling at the woman. Rin leans her head on Zuko's shoulder as she closes her eyes, the woman cradles a sleeping baby in her lap while grinning at the man his arm draped over her shoulders. "What a handsome baby," Iroh comments tickling the baby's blanket with his finger.

"Thank you." The Mother says as the baby peacefully sleeps while her mother beams over her.

Two Earthbenders begin to scoot the train forward with a grinding noise, the train travels on a raised track over sunset lit fields.

* * *

In the lower ring of the Earth Kingdom Capital in the lower ring, Zuko walks down the street with Rin next to him looking around her in caution. Iroh catches up to him from behind, holding a large vase with several orange flowers placed in it, Zuko stares coldly at the flora. "I just want our new place to look nice in case you bring home a friend." Iroh teases the teens knowing how hard it was for either of them to make friends but hope the change of place will help them to open up.

"This city is a prison. I don't want to make a life here." Rin grumbles to herself thinking of her family that left her.

"Life happens wherever you are, whether you make it or not. Now come on, I found us some new jobs, and we start this afternoon." Iroh tells the two teens, Rin looks to her left to see Zuko looks upset maybe it was her comment somehow. She couldn't understand why she knew he didn't want to be here either but they walk off to their new place unaware that Jet is staring hard at the three of them.

"Look at them, Firebenders living right under everyone's nose." Jet hisses, Smellerbee and Longshot walk up to Jet from one of the alleyways.

"Jet, you saw a man with a hot cup of tea. It doesn't prove he's Firebender. And what if he is, are we supposed to attack them I thought we were starting over here, changing our ways." Smellerbee tries reasoning with him, but it doesn't seem to be working.

"We are when I get the evidence I need, I'll report them to the police and let them handle it. Okay?" Jet retorts but he had no intention of keeping his word he wanted to deal with them himself.

* * *

In the lower ring, a small tea shop sits, Jet leans against the shop's wall near the window and turns around peeking inside, spotting Zuko and Iroh speaking with the tea shop owner but doesn't see Rin. "Well, you certainly look like official tea servers. How do you feel? And where is the girl?" The Tea Shop Owner asks his new employees.

"Ridiculous." Zuko answers and looks at the back door where Rin was, she wasn't just wearing an apron but a green maid costume that gained everyone's attention even Jet's. She walks over to the little group looking down at the floor as she reaches them.

"Why this?" She asks the owner.

"This is tradition." The owner simply answers, she nods as she feels everyone staring and didn't want to kill him in front of everyone, she looks at the Zuko and Iroh both wearing aprons and their normal clothes. She slumps her shoulders in defeat and Iroh desperately tries attempting to tie the string behind his back but his efforts go nowhere.

"Uh, does this possibly come in a large size?" Iroh asks the Owner bashfully.

"I have extra string in the back. Have some tea while you wait." The Owner tells his new employees, he pours out three cups of tea and hands them to the three Firebenders before heading to the back of the shop. Iroh takes a sip of tea from his cup but quickly pulls it away from his lips, his face contorted in disgust.

"Eeow! This tea is nothing more than hot leaf juice!" Iroh cries out in disgust at what he had just drunk.

"Uncle, that's what all tea is." Zuko reminds him, in a slightly harsh tone.

"How can a member of my own family say something so horrible? We'll have to make some major changes around here." Iroh tells the two teens, he grabs the teapot and heads over to the window where Jet is spying through. Jet gasps pulling away just in time and Iroh dumps the tea out of the window, Jet slowly stalks around the corner of the shop and leaves.

"I really love tea, but is this really necessary?" Rin asks the older man, he turns to her seeing the sadness and fear in her eyes as she looks around to see guards, and ordinary people walking and sitting around.

* * *

In a complex of apartments from a balcony in the shadows, hiding behind a clothesline, Jet spies on Zuko, Iroh and Rin in the apartment across from him. He can see them through the windows on both sides of the room, and shifts his gaze to either side as they talk, Iroh stands by a counter with a teapot, Zuko is lying down on a cot and Rin is sitting down at the table with a scroll in front of her, Jet couldn't see the words too clearly this far away. "Would you like a pot of tea?" Iroh asks the two teens.

"We've been working in a tea shop all day. I'm sick of tea!" Zuko exclaims, he hated this working but he hated that Rin saw him like that more.

"Sick of tea? That's like being sick of breathing!" Iroh overreacts and rummages through the cupboard beneath the counter. "Have you seen our spark rocks to heat up the water?" He asks the two.

"They're not there." Jet opens one of his palms to reveal two emerald green spark rocks. "You'll have to Firebend, old man. Where are you going?" He asks but his question is answered.

"No, try next door, they always have spares, also hurry I'd like my tea soon before I go to work," Rin comments not looking up from the scroll in front of her. Jet narrows his eyes as Iroh walks away for a moment but soon returns with a pair of spark rocks.

"They did have another pair, such kind people," Iroh replies once he makes it back and strikes the spark rocks together near the small pile of twigs beneath the teapot. They quickly ignite and a small flame is created, Jet ducks behind the clothesline and leaves.

"Here we are," Iroh hands over a cup of tea to where Rin is sitting, she takes the cup her eyes not leaving the scroll.

"What are you reading?" Zuko asks her looking over at his girlfriend curious and concerned with her behaviour of sorts.

* * *

Inside the tea shop, Iroh pours a cup of tea for the officer that had walked in earlier. "This is the best tea in the city!" The Officer exclaims in joy.

"The secret ingredient is love," Iroh replies, in a jokey tone and waves a hand through the steam coming from the teapot and walks towards the back shop where the owner is.

"I think you're due for a raise." The Owner comments, not a second later, Jet slams the tea shop door open and steps inside.

"I'm tired of waiting. These two men and that woman are Firebenders!" Jet accuses them pointing to all three of them, their attention fixated on the Freedom Fighter before them. Jet unsheathes his hook swords preparing to fight, Iroh and Zuko quickly exchange a look, unsure of what to do then turn to Rin who glares at the teen.

Outside the tea shop of Jet stands in the doorway, swords drawn and ready to fight them, everyone's attention is focused on him. "I know they're Firebenders! I saw the old man heating his tea!" Jet roars in outrage.

"He works in a tea shop." The Officer argues their case.

"He's a Firebender, I'm telling you!" Jet bellows on getting angrier that they were just ignoring him.

"Drop your swords boy, nice and easy." The Officer instructs him calmly as the two Officers sitting at one of the tables stand up and prepare to take care of Jet.

"You'll have to defend yourself. Then everyone will know. Go ahead, show them what you can do." Jet warns them and posies his hook swords slowly walking towards the three Firebenders. One of the Officers prepares to draw the swords at his waist when Zuko and Rin step in front of him and Zuko grabs the hilt instead.

"You want a show? We'll give you a show." Zuko threatens and unsheathes the Officer's double broadswords entering his fighting stance, Rin grabs her skirt and pulls out her chain scythe and gets into a fighting stance. She pulls a table in front of them with her foot then kicks it at Jet, he slices his hook swords into the table and jumps over it. As he lands on the floor, he swings both hook swords down at Zuko and Rin, who deflects the attack, they jump back onto another table. Jet swings one of his swords through the middle of the table, slicing it in half the other goes swiping it at Rin but she deflects the attack. Zuko steps to one half of the table balancing on one foot, Jet follows up his attack by cutting through the legs on the half of the table Zuko is standing on. Rin rushes towards Jet trying to catch him off guard but he sees her coming and deflects her attack as Zuko quickly hops onto the other half of the table still standing to land in a crane stance. Jet knocks this half to the ground, but Zuko jumps into the air swinging both broadswords at Jet's feet as he lands, with Rin going for his head. Jet somersaults away landing in a crouching position before charging forward at Zuko and Rin again. Zuko swings both of the swords at Jet while Rin uses the chain swinging it around. The weapons soon clash together creating a loud noise.

* * *

Outside the tea shop, Zuko bursts through the door tumbling into the street with RIn running out after him with Jet after them doing a few spins before striking at Zuko and Rin with his swords. Zuko manages to block the strike as does Rin and all three fighters lock blades. "You must be getting tired of using those swords and Chain Scythe. Why don't you go ahead and Firebend at me." Jet taunts as they struggle to gain control and walk off to the side. Iroh stands in the doorway of the tea shop and watches on worried for both teens as the sound of blades clanging and the fighters grunt.

"Please son, you're confused. You don't know what you're doing!" Iroh pleads with Jet but he is ignored as Zuko swings at Jet, but he catches Zuko's broadsword with the ends of his hook swords, spinning around deflecting it to the side while Rin strikes out at Jet getting his arm as Zuko spins with it trying to counter attack, but Jet hooks the ends of his swords together at Zuko in a large circular motion. Zuko retreats back a few steps to allow Rin to deflect the bladed hilt as she steps forward taking the attack then attacking back.

"Bet you wish he'd help you two out with a little fire blast right now." Jet taunts them but he doesn't hit a nerve as he swings at Zuko's feet but he stabs one of the swords through the hilt pinning it to the ground. Jet looks at this with annoyance before focusing back on his two opponents in front of him.

"You're the one who needs help." Rin snarls at the boy at the two sword fighters are down to one sword each, Jet lets go of his pinned hook sword retreating a step. He turns in a circle and tries to swipe at Zuko, but he quickly advances swinging his sword at Jet in a horizontal motion with Rin next to him. Jet pulls his attack just in time to bend backwards avoiding Zuko's blade, he misses but cuts the wheat straw sticking out of Jet's mouth in half.

Jet regains balance in time jumping back on to the edge of a well, by now several people are in the street watching the fight between the three teens. "You see that? The Fire Nation is trying to silence me. It'll never happen." Jet calls out to the people around them, he hooks his sword onto a wooden beam above the well swinging forward at Rin, attacking her with a flying kick.

Zuko growls as he swings his broadsword at Jet, he parries the attack and steps to Zuko's side and the two end up back to back. They attempt to strike at each other behind them, but neither can get past the other's defence, Rin runs towards them but stops when she sees two Dai Li walking through the crowd towards the sword fighters. "Drop your weapons!" One of the Dai Li Guards orders them, Zuko and Jet step away facing each other, Zuko lowers his sword but Jet points at Zuko, Iroh and Rin who put her weapon down as well.

"Arrest them. They're Firebenders." Jet argues pointing to the three of them.

"This poor boy is confused. We're just simple refugees." Iroh argues calmly.

"This young man wrecked my tea shop, and assaulted my employees." The Tea Shop Owner points at Jet accusingly.

"It's true sir. We saw the whole thing. This crazy kid attacked the finest tea maker and waitress in the city." The Officer compliments making both Iroh and Rin blush.

"Oh ho ho. That's very sweet." Iroh replies bashfully and the two Dai Li walks up behind Jet, who looks at them angrily.

"Come with us son." The Second Dai Li Guard orders Jet but he swings his hook sword at the Dai Li guard, but he catches the sword with his hand covered in stones. The guard then disarms Jet and both guards pull the boy's arms behind his back, binding his wrists together using the stones on the palms of their gloves. They drag Jet away towards a wagon designed for holding captured criminals.

"You don't understand! They're Fire Nation! You have to believe me!" Jet screams out, the three Firebenders watch as Jet is put into the wagon, the crowd begins to disperse as the action is now over. On his knees, Jet looks up as the doors slam shut, the people left in the street watch the wagon roll away. Longshot and Smellerbee look on at this, hidden within the crowd, and silently walk out of sight.

* * *

 _ **The Tale of Iroh**_

In the marketplace in Ba-Sing-Se, in the street, Iroh walks pleasantly down the lane stopping to examine a basket being sold by a merchant. "If this is for a romantic picnic, may I suggest this lavender one?" The Merchant suggests.

"No, it is not a romantic picnic, but it is a special occasion," Iroh replies landing the merchant a few coins and picks up the basket, he turns to leave the market stall when a closed flower in a vase catches his eye. He slides the vase out of the sunlight and into the shade. "The moonflower likes partial shade." Iroh bows to the merchant and walks away and continues to examine another merchant's stall which sells a type of Asian Lute which is a stringed instrument called a Liugins. The sound of a crying child catches Iroh's attention and he turns around to see a boy sobbing the middle of the street and his Mother trying to console him.

"Shhh. it's okay. Shhh." The Mother tries consoling her child as he cries, the sound of music being played on one of the Liugins can be heard as Iroh approaches them, singing a tune with a smile on his face. He gets down on one knee next to the crying boy as he sings.

" _Leaves from the vine, falling so slow._

 _Like fragile, tiny shells,_

 _Drifting in the foam._

 _Little soldier boy, come marching home._

 _Brave soldier boy comes marching home."_ Iroh sings for the boy, his once frown instantly turns into a smile as he reaches up pulling Iroh's long beard, he yelps and the child laughs in delight. Iroh smiles petting his poor beard, the boy's Mother takes her son by the hand and leads him away as Iroh stands looking after them with a very pleasant look in his face.

* * *

Iroh enters a courtyard to pass through, four boys are in the courtyard with a white ball playing a game. One of the boys hits the ground with his foot and the ball shoots up and back down, he kicks it then follows up with some Earthbending. A patch of Earth rises to create a path for the ball as it rolls along, another player Earthbends to impede the path of the ball before it reaches the goal. This causes the ball to launch up into the air and into the direction Iroh is standing, he moves out of the way just in time, but the ball rips through the window directly behind where he was, a crash is heard and a loud voice comes from inside. "Hey!" An angry man's voice shouts out, Iroh walks over to the boys as they gather around him to listen to what he has to say.

"It is usually best to admit mistakes when they occur, and to seek to restore honour-" Iroh lectures them but is cut off by a loud smash and all five of them look up, startled where at the window a very large body and head are visible through the hole.

"When I am through with you kids, the window won't be the only thing that's broken!" The man shouts at them.

"-but not this time. Run!" Iroh tells them and they make a run of it in different directions.

* * *

Iroh runs down the marketplace streets quickly, he hides in an alley, placing the basket down, he looks around the corner to see if he's being chased. "You. Give me all your money!" The Mugger orders him, Iroh gets a look to see a messy looking man with a dagger pointed directly at him standing behind him with his legs bent at a very odd angle as he stands.

"What are you doing?" Iroh asks the man in a calm voice thankful that neither Zuko or Rin is here with him as they would start a fight, it seems to be the only option for them these days since they have made it to Ba-Sing-Se and he was sure he could get out of this situation with just words. Maybe.

"I'm mugging you!" He yells at Iroh as if it is the most obvious thing, though it was of course, but, Iroh had more to say.

"With that stance?" Iroh asks him as if lecturing him.

"Wha-what are you talking about? Just give me your money, old man!" The Mugger orders him with urgency.

"With a poor stance you are unbalanced, and you can be easily knocked over." Iroh lectures him and in one swift move, Iroh grabs the arm of the mugger and disarms him, while simultaneously proving his point by pushing his attacker and knocking him to the ground. Iroh twirls the dagger in his hand in his hand then helps the man to his feet. "With a solid stance, you are a much more serious threat." He demonstrates a proper stance for the mugger and the mugger attempts to imitate Iroh's stance but is still not assuming the correct form. Iroh walks over to the mugger and holds his head still while he adjusts the man's stance by nudging his backside forward with his foot. After helping him assume the correct form, Iroh now pleased with the man's stance. "Much better! But to tell you the truth, you do not look like the criminal type."

"I know. I'm… I'm just confused." The Mugger confesses and holds a cup, and Iroh pours hot, steamy tea for the man. "So you really think I could be a good masseur?" He asks the old man as the two still in the alley, sitting on the ground sharing some tea and talking.

"Of course!" Iroh encourages.

"This is so great! No one has ever believed in me." The Mugger says.

"While it is always best to believe in one's self, a little help from others can be a great blessing." Iroh verses off to the man helping him to see that crime wasn't the answer.

* * *

A tree on a hill within the city as the sun sets leaves gently fall from the tree as Iroh approaches the trunk and looks out over the city. Iroh places the basket down and removes his hat, then rests on his knees and piles some rocks at the base of the tree. Searching through his basket, he removes several things and places them at the bottom of the tree. He pulls out a sheet of paper he looks at it for a few seconds, closing his eyes and bowing his head, before placing it down as well. Finally, he pulls out joss sticks, which are sticks of incense that burn, and lights them with his fingers by clicking the tips and places them down as well. Iroh finishes making a small memorial for his passed son, Lu Ten, the memorial is little more than the burning joss sticks, a few apples, and a bag with unknown contents. Most importantly, a sketched picture of Lu Ten sits against the rocks. "Happy Birthday my son." As he says this he begins to cry. "If only I could have helped you." He begins to sing his song that he sung to the boy in the market but has difficulty keeping his voice from cracking up under his grief for his departed son. " _Leaves from the vine, falling so slow._

 _Like fragile, tiny shells,_

 _Drifting in the foam._

 _Little soldier boy, come marching home._

 _Brave soldier boy comes marching home."_ He sings for his son.

* * *

 _ **The Tale of Zuko + Rin**_

At Pao's tea shop, the place where Zuko, Iroh and Rin work under the guise of Lee, Mushi and Kyo respectively. Inside where Zuko walks down the shop with a tray of cups and looks over his shoulder once at something, he walks up behind his Uncle who is on a ladder, stacking things on a shelf behind the counter with RIn holding more boxes for him. "Uncle, we have a problem," Zuko tells him and Iroh descends the ladder. "One of the customers is onto us. Don't look, now." He informs them but they still look to see a very attractive girl sitting in the corner of the shop sipping her tea. "But there is a girl over there at the corner table. She knows we're Fire Nation." Zuko forces Irog to turn around as he had turned to look along with Rin, he turns her around as well, but Iroh sports a grin on his face while Rin looks annoyed. "Didn't I say don't look!" Zuko exclaims at the two.

"You're right Zuko, I've seen that girl in here quite a lot. Seems to me she has quite a little crush on you." Iroh tells his nephew, and looks to Rin to see her with an unemotional mask, she needed to know that there are others out there and as she was acting so cold towards the both of them it seems that they both need to see this for themselves.

"What?!" Zuko reels back in surprise at this new piece of information, he couldn't think of anyone else but Rin, he loves her even if she was acting so cold to him as of late but he knew she would eventually tell him what was bothering her. It just took some time.

"Thank you for the tea." The girl they were discussing voice comes from behind them suddenly, causing the two men to part away from each other. Rin walks over to her but is ignored by the girl which makes Rin narrow her eyes and stomp away from her. "What's your name?" the girl asks Zuko as she hands over a few coins and he turns away from her.

"My name's Lee." Zuko answers and turns back to her before his Uncle whispers into his ear about his plan and why he should do it. Something along the way of Rin being unemotional was worrying them both and they needed to know and she usually told them when certain things happen to her or others and this would be both. "My Uncle and I just moved here." He tells her once they had finished discussing their plan in hushed tones.

"Hi Lee, my name is Jin. Thank you and, well, I was wondering if you would like to go out sometime?" She asks him which was surprised by her forwardness but he had to go through with the plan but was hesitant which his uncle saw.

"He'd love to!" Iroh answers for him.

"Great! I will meet you in front of the shop at sundown." Jin gleams and walks away, leaving Zuko standing bewildered as his Uncle throws an arm around his shoulders with a large, goofy grin on his face again.

"Don't you worry, Rin will come around so just try to enjoy your night out," Iroh tells him but Zuko was doubtful and didn't want to lose Rin because of this plan.

* * *

Nightfall over Ba-Sing-Se and outside the shop, the doors open as Zuko steps out into the street wearing a very handsome green outfit and his hair done up. He walks out into the middle of the street and looks around as Jin emerges from around the side of the shop and approaches him. "Hey. Well, look at you." She gushes and reaches up messing his hair so it looks normal again. "You look so cute!"

"It took my Uncle ten minutes to do my hair," Zuko complains, he really didn't want to be here as he hadn't seen Rin all day since Jin had asked him out thanks to his Uncle's stupid plan. Jin grabs Zuko by the arm leading him off as he glances back at the tea shop hoping to see Rin but his wish wasn't granted.

* * *

They make it to the town square where several people stand around doing various activities and at a patio restaurant, Zuko and Jin sit eating, Jin sips at her tea while Zuko pokes at his last piece of food with his chopsticks, not looking at the girl wishing to see Rin soon. "So, how do you like the city so far?" Jin asks him.

"It's okay," Zuko replies seeming bored.

"What do you like to do for fun?" She asks him trying to get the conversation rolling.

"Nothing," Zuko replies, he couldn't tell her he likes spending time with Rin and training with her, he loves spending time with her. That was fun for him and her, or he always thought it was but recently she had become distant, his thought get cut off as the waiter walks over to them.

"Excuse me, sir. Would you and your girlfriend care for dessert?" The waiter asks Zuko.

"She is not my girlfriend!" Zuko shouts at the waiter and pounds on the table with his fist, " _How dare he think she is my girlfriend. Only Rin!"_ Zuko screams inside his head, everyone in the restaurant goes quiet and glances over at him. The waiter walks away from the couple and Zuko laces his fingers together and looks around at Jin who seems to have not taken any kind of offence or, indeed, any form of notice to his outburst and devours her noodles from the bowl at an alarming rate. Zuko blinks in shock at the scene before him. "You have… quite an appetite for a girl." He states trying to find something to say.

"Um, thanks so, Lee, where were you and your Uncle living before you came here?" Jin asks him in curiosity and to keep the conversation going.

"Um, well, we've been travelling around for a long time," Zuko answers vaguely still not mentioning Rin as he was trying to stick to the plan his Uncle came up with.

"Oh! Why were you travelling so much?" She asks him.

"We were uh, apart of this travelling circus." He replies thinking on the spot.

"Really? What did you do? Wait, lemme guess, you juggled!" She smiles, he folds his arms, pausing for a moment before responding.

"Yes. I juggled." He responds.

"I've always wanted to learn how to juggle. Can you show me something?" She requests holding out an assortment of objects from the table that Zuko takes into his arms. He then throws each one of them into the air, one after the other, then prepares to catch them, he succeeds in catching none of them and one manages to fall onto his head breaking into many pieces. Jin doesn't laugh at this nor Zuko, but she smiles gently at him.

"Whoah! I haven't practised for awhile." He remarks as he wipes shards of the egg from his hair.

"It's alright. Hey, I want to show you one of my favourite places in the city." She chimes in excitement.

* * *

Somewhere in the city that is only lit by the light of the full moon with no people around but Zuko and Jin, the ladder leading the forme by hand. "I'm so excited for you to see the firelight fountain. The lamps make the water sparkles and reflect in the pool in the most beautiful way." Jin gleams at the thought of seeing it as she leads Zuko into an open area with a large fountain and several posts with candles on top surrounding it in a circle; however, to spite its name, it is dark and the candles are unlit. "I can't believe it! They aren't lit!" Whines and Zuko looks at the disappointed look on her face for a moment, then at the candles thinking of taking Rin here one day if she ever speaks to him again that is.

"Close your eyes and don't peek," Zuko instructs and walks out into the circle of candles, holding his hands together, and closes his eyes as he prepares. He begins to Firebend using his pointer and middle fingers on each hand, he shoots small bursts of flame in all directions at the candles to light them. Once he finishes, he stands straight and looks at Jin, still with her eyes closed thankfully for him. "Okay. Now you can look." He assures her and she complies opening her eyes to see the whole area lit by candles.

"Oh wow…" She walks over to him looking around in amazement. "What happened? How did they light? What did you…?" She asks him but Zuko simply smiles at her in reply. They both turn to look at the fountain, as he examines his work, Jin brushes her hand through her hair and smiles at him, though he doesn't see as he's too distracted by thoughts of Rin. Jin reaches over grabbing his hand to hold it, this attracts his attention, Zuko turns to look at her smiling at him. They both turn to face one another and as Jin begins to lean in for a kiss, Zuko quickly draws a piece of paper out of his pocket holding it between their lips.

"I brought you something. It's a coupon for a free cup of tea." Zuko adds breaking the almost kiss and silently sighs to himself.

"Lee, this is so sweet." Jin smiles taking the coupon from him.

"Don't thank me. It was my Uncle's idea. He thinks you're out most valuable customer." He replies taking a few steps away from her.

"You Uncle is a good teacher. I have something for you too." She tells him and walks back to him placing her hand on his cheek. "Now it's your turn to close your eyes." She instructs and he does so then she makes her move. Jin delivers a short kiss and pulls back, Zuko jumps back away from her, standing for a second, looking at her, then turns his back and begins to walk away. "What's wrong?" She asks him confused at why he had pulled away so erratically.

"It's complicated. I have to go." Zuko replies thinking of Rin, there were no sparks when he had kissed Jin but with Rin there were fireworks and he wanted to keep that feeling only with her. Thinking about her he runs from the fountain leaving a confused Jin standing there alone but his thoughts weren't on her they were on the only woman he loves Rin and he was going to find her and tell her that.

* * *

Zuko continues running down the streets of Ba-Sing-Se, he finally makes it to wherever RIn was, he looks to see her in front of a makeshift grave in a field of sunflowers, she just stands in front of the grave looking at it. The closer Zuko gets the clearer the image she had placed there, it was of her Father and now he understood why she didn't want to come here because six years ago her Father had died in battle and this is where it was. "I'm sorry," Rin whispers into the window, Zuko stops in his tracks unsure of who she was talking to but that was soon answered. "I saw you kiss that girl and I am so sorry that I'm not good enough for you." She cries and turns to face the young prince with tears streaming down her face.

"It was a mistake, I vow I have no feelings for that girl. I love you Rin but you've been so distant as of late and it's been worrying me and Uncle." Zuko explains and she looks back over her shoulder at the grave of her Father.

"I'm not very good at explaining my emotions…" She tries telling him, but he makes the final steps towards her and embraces her into a strong hug letting her cry into his shoulder.

"It's okay, but if you ever need to tell me something or even Uncle just tell us. I promise we're here for you." Zuko vows to her and keeps her close to him.

After some time the tears stop and Rin pulls away from Zuko to look into his eyes, she leans in and their lips meet, this was like fireworks exploding all around them, this was how it was supposed to be. "I love you," Zuko mumbles loud enough for her to hear.

"I love you too." She replies and holds him tight against him.

"Marry me." He suddenly asks her, shocking her, she pulls away from him looking at his face for any signs of deception but she saw nothing but love.

"Yes." She answers, it takes a few seconds for him to process what she had said and engulfs her into a hug with a massive grin on his face along with a big smile on her face. "We're getting married!" She exclaims in disbelief and kisses Zuko again stronger with more passion.

* * *

Iroh leans out of the window of his, Zuko and Rin's apartment, looking up and down the street waiting for Zuko's return from the date and for Rin from wherever she had disappeared to. Behind him, the door opens as Zuko enters without saying a word but he wanted to but he had to plan his part in the plan him and Rin had thought of as payback for Iroh's idiot plan. "How was your night, Prince Zuko?" Iroh asks his nephew but Zuko just walks across the floor and into what must be his room and slams the door behind him without a word. Iroh looks after him for a second with a confused look on his face before turning back to the window to trim the flower bed sitting there. He hears the sound of the door opening again, he turns back around to see Rin enter the apartment and head straight for her room, but before he can say anything she closes her door behind her.

An hour later Rin's door opens again with a bag of her things over her shoulder, Iroh looks at her in shock thinking she was leaving both him and Zuko and he begins to panic when she knocks on Zuko's door, he opens the door to her and takes the bag, leaving Iroh very confused. "We're getting married in a few days, could you help us tomorrow?" Rin asks Iroh and they look at him to see a look of surprise that turns into happiness for the two of them.

"Of course, get some sleep you two." He tells them and smiles watching Rin close the door behind them and he smiles pleasantly then returns to his flowers.

* * *

A few days later, it was the big day for Zuko and Rin, they were only 17 but they knew they were going to spend the rest of their lives together. At the local church in a room, Zuko stood in front of a mirror with Iroh behind him both dressed in the traditional Earth Kingdom wear. Iroh tries fixing Zuko's hair but he keeps pulling away from him. "Stop it, Uncle," Zuko orders him and looks at himself in the mirror.

"You seem nervous," Iroh points out, he looks at his nephew with a slight gleam in his eye. "Do not worry you will be fine, I promise. I will go to check on your future wife." He tells him and leaves the room with one last look at his nephew with a smile on his face.

* * *

In another room inside the church stands Rin looking into a mirror in her wedding dress, she hears the door open behind her, she turns to see Iroh walk in. "It is almost time, are you ready?" Iroh asks her, she turns back to look into the mirror pulling at her hair still missing the length she once had.

"I believe so, it's just I wish my parents could be here to see it both of them." She replies thinking of her adopted parents and her birth parents wishing she had some family left in her life.

"I am sure they are watching on, my dear," Iroh promises her and the sound of music fills the church. "It is time." He tells her.

* * *

Inside the church, stands Shai the former Royal Advisor to King Bumi of Omashu with Zuko to her left looking nervous, the doors open with a low creek, they turn their heads to see Iroh and RIn walking into the room down the aisle. Zuko looks at her with awe, she looks beautiful with her long flowing white and green dress and her hair done up, she looks amazing, he turns to face her as she stands in front of him. They both look at each other with shy smiles on their faces mouthing 'I love you' to one another. "We are gathered here by the Great Spirit, to witness Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation and General Rin Yuu of the Fire Nation," Shai announces startling both Zuko and Iroh as they didn't know who she was.

"She's one of my _friends_ ," Rin whispers to Zuko loud enough for Iroh to hear and they nod in understanding.

"Can I continue?" Shai asks them, they all nod at her and she continues. "To come together in holy matrimony under the Great Spirit, we may stand on Earth Kingdom soil but you are of the Fire Nation and we shall honour the tradition. So we shall begin, under the Great Spirit Prince Zuko and Rin Yuu come together. If anyone has a cause as to why these two should not be lawfully wed, speak now or forever hold your peace." She pauses waiting for a few seconds. "I charge you both, here in the presence of the Great Spirit and the witness of this company, that either of you know any reason why you may not be married lawfully and in accordance with the Great Spirit's word, do now confess it." The two say nothing in the small pause. "Rin, will you have this man to be your husband; to live together with him in the covenant of marriage? Will you love him, comfort him, honour and keep him, in sickness and in health, and, forsaking all others, be faithful unto him as long as you both shall live?" She asks Rin.

"I will," Rin answers smiling at Zuko across from her.

"Zuko, will you have this woman to be your wife; to love together with her in the covenant of marriage? Will you love her, comfort her, honour and keep her, in sickness and in health, and, forsaking all others, be faithful unto her as long as you both shall live?" Shai asks Zuko.

"I will," Zuko answers taking Rin's hands smiling lovingly.

"Will all of you witness these promises do all in your power to uphold these two persons in their marriage?" Shai asks Iroh and a woman next to him, which is another one of Rin's friends called Shin which was the twin of Shai.

"We will," They answer and continue with the ceremony.

"Zuko, please proceed with your vows," Shai instructs Zuko.

"I, Zuko, take you, Rin to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward; for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part, according to the Great Spirit's holy law. In the presence of the Great Spirit, I make this vow." Zuko speaks taking her right hand in his.

"Rin, please proceed with your vows," Shai instructs Rin.

"I, Rin take you, Zuko to by my husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness, and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part, according to the Great Spirit's holy law. In the presence of the Great Spirit, I make this vow." Rin speaks taking his right hand in hers and drop hands.

"Bless, Great Spirit, these rings as a symbol of the vows by which this man and this woman have bound themselves to each other; through the Great Spirit." Shai prays.

"Amen." The rest pray.

"Now please Zuko give Rin her ring," Shai instructs and Zuko takes Rin's hand placing her ring on her left ring finger.

"I give you this ring as a symbol of my love, and with all that I am, and all that I have, I honour you, in the Name of the Great Spirit." Zuko recites.

"Please, Rin give Zuko his ring," Shai instructs.

"I give you this ring as a symbol of my love, and with all that I am, and all that I have, I honour you, in the Name of the Great Spirit." Rin recites and Rin takes Zuko's hand placing his ring on his left ring finger, Shai joins Rin's right hand and Zuko's right hand.

"Now that Rin and Zuko have given themselves to each other by solemn vows, with the joining of hands and the giving and receiving of the rings, I pronounce that they are husband and wife, in the name of the Great Spirit. Those whom the Great Spirit has joined together, let no one put asunder." Shai prays.

"Amen," They pray together.

"Rin and Zuko, having witnessed your vows of love to one another, it is my joy to present you all gathered here as husband and wife. Zuko you may kiss the bride." Shai says and the two lean in and kiss the three witnesses cheer for them and they pull away looking into each other's eyes.

 **Here I am DeadGirlEternal, this is the first chapter of the New Year, please comment, favourite or follow, hope you like let me know and the next one is on its way! Happy New Year To All My Readers!**


	9. Sorrowful Contempt

" _Water... Earth... Fire... Air…" Katara voices over as the benders demonstrate as she talks. "My grandmother used to tell me stories about the old days, a time of peace when the Avatar kept the balance between the Water Tribes, Earth Kingdom, Fire Nation, and Air Nomads. But that all changed when the Fire Nation attacked." It journeys into the map showing the world and closes in on a bender displaying all the elements. "Only the Avatar mastered all four elements. Only he could stop the ruthless firebenders. But when the world needed him most, he vanished." He disappears from sight. "A hundred years have passed and the Fire Nation is nearing victory in the war. Two years ago, my father and the men of my tribe journeyed to the Earth Kingdom to help fight against the Fire Nation, leaving me and my brother to look after our tribe." It shows the Water Tribe men on their boats and Katara hugging her older brother Sokka holding up a lantern. "Some people believe that the Avatar was never reborn into the Air Nomads and that the cycle is broken, but I haven't lost hope. I still believe that somehow the Avatar will return to save the world."_

 **Sorrowful Contempt**

 _On the deck of the ferry some time ago, a shocked Iroh watched the giant bison pass overhead and away. "Huh!" Iroh exclaimed in shock waking both Zuko and Rin, they turned to face the older man._

" _Uncle? What are you looking at? Is there something out there?" Zuko asked his Uncle sleepily._

" _Uh, it's nothing. Go back to sleep." Iroh replied nervously and soon sighed in relief thankful as Zuko and Rin fell back to sleep._

* * *

 _One morning, the Kyoshi Warriors gathered red berries from a group of bushes, one of the warriors noticed clumps of white fur hanging from the branches of a bush. "Must have been some fight." The Warrior commented plucking a mass of the white fur._

" _Wait. Let me see that." Suki instructed taking the clump of white fur from her fellow Warrior. "No. it couldn't be." She muttered to herself, she gazed up the side of the hill, a devastating scene of broken trees and stripped Earth. She followed the path of destruction, climbed up the side and finally found herself up at the top, she discovered the ragged bison lying in the shadow of the mine entrance. "Huh? Appa? Oh no." She questioned, but the noise of her voice, caused Appa to cower back in fright into the mine growling at her. As Suki approached, she saw his chains as well as the various injuries he had sustained. She kneeled near the entrance and laid down a double handful of berries and fruit for him as a sign of peace. "It's gonna be okay Appa. I have to leave, but I am gonna be back soon with help." She assured Appa, she turned hurrying back down the side of the hill. Appa emerged cautiously sniffing at the fruit._

 _Sometime later Suki led the other Kyoshi Warriors carefully up the side of the hill, as Appa lied back inside the mine entrance. "No sudden movements. He's been lost for awhile, and he looks like he's hurt. He's shy around people and scared. Stay low, and stay quiet." Suki addressed her fellow Warriors behind her._

" _I can't believe you found the Avatar's bison. Didn't you just see the Avatar a few days ago?" One of the Warriors asked Suki._

" _Yes, so he can't be too far from here. It's our responsibility to get Appa back to him safely. This could be our most important mission yet." Suki told them and turned, leading the other girls up the rest of the way, pausing at the top of the hill. Appa noticed them, rising to his feet roaring an angry warning trying to frighten them away. "Give him some space!" She ordered and they back up a space, as Suki edged closer towards him. "Appa, it's me, Suki. I'm a friend." She soothingly told him as she walked towards Appa, who moaned warily. "I want to help you. You're hurt. We can help you feel better. And we can help you find Aang." She cautiously placed her hand on his nose, and he laid down on the ground and closed his eyes in acceptance of her._

* * *

 _The Kyoshi Warrior had taken off the manacles and quills leaving them lying in the grass, further away from them a better looking Appa sat among the Warriors licking the face of one with his giant tongue. Suddenly his ears twitched to approaching danger, as he turned around, a bolt of blue lightning hit a nearby tree. Azula, Mai and Ty Lee rode out of the hills on the backs of mongoose dragons, reigning to a halt before the Kyoshi Warriors and Appa. "My, my, you're easy to find." She held out a clump of white fur and tossed it aside. "It's really astounding my brother or Rin hasn't captured you yet." She boasted and the Kyoshi Warriors stood ready to fight around Appa, as the three regarded them from the saddles of their mounts._

 _Appa reared and growled threateningly, the Warriors dropped as one into a combat stance, unfurling war fans and collapsible shields. "What do you want with us?" Suki questioned the Fire Nation Princess._

" _Who are you, the Avatar's fan girls?" Azula mocked them, not caring who they are._

" _Oh, I get it! I get it. Good one, Azula!" Ty Lee laughed after thinking for a moment, then brightened up._

" _If you are looking for the Avatar, you're out of luck," Suki informed them in a warning tone._

" _I knew this was a waste of time," Mai complained sighing despondently._

" _No Avatar huh?" Azula shrugs. "Well that's okay, any friend of the Avatar is an enemy of mine." As she finished saying this, she did a spinning leap from her saddle, sending a blast of blue fire towards the Warriors. They leapt to form a shield wall in front of Appa, deflecting the fire blast, Mai and Ty Lee flipped forward out of their saddles to engage the Warriors in combat. Mai landed on her feet, produced a brace of throwing knives from her sleeves, with a sweeping throw, she spun a startled Warrior to a tree by her clothing._

" _You're so colourful, it's making me nauseous." Mai scoffed and spun throwing a barrage of throwing arrows at a second Warrior, who drew a katana cutting them from the air. She took a couple of swings at Ty Lee, who nimbly evaded her slashes before she gives a flurry of pressure-point strikes._

" _You're_ not _prettier than we are!" Ty Lee sassed hands on her hips, Suki continued to stand between Azula and Appa, blocking her fire blasts with her shield. Azula's second more powerful blast ricocheted off Suki's shield, setting fire to the tree she fell back as the tree caught fire, Appa cowered back from the leaping flames._

" _Afraid of fire I see. That's good, you should be!" Azula exclaimed showing a little of her madness._

" _Go Appa! Fly away from here! Get out of here." Suki ordered the giant bison drawing her sword to hold off the three Fire Nation girls. Appa rose into the sky following Suki's order and with him out of danger she charged at Azula with fierce determination. The Fire Princess performed an amazing horizontal mid-air spin, simultaneously avoiding her thrusts and sending her sword flying from her hands embedded into a tree. Suki blocked another fire blast, then Azula countered her kick and tripped Suki to the ground, pausing at the sight of Suki in danger, Appa turned flying back to help. Ready to finish Suki, Azula dodged beneath a pair of war-fans hurled at her back and turned to launch an attack. Suki raised to her feet, rushing to wave off the approaching sky-bison waving a burning branch as a warning. "Get out of here! You have to find Aang! We'll be okay!" She yelled at him, clearly torn, Appa finally moved away flying off into the sky. Smiling in relief, Suki barely reacted in time to block a blast of blue fire with her shield, she staggered back and fell into a battle stance, unfolding her war-fan._

" _Don't you know that fans just make flames stronger?" Azula threatened and the two charged one another._

* * *

In the morning at the lower ring of Ba-Sing- Se inside an apartment complex in a small room sleep Rin and Zuko side by side holding one another, her eyes begin to flutter open as a stream of light illuminates the small room. She moves ever so slightly so as to not wake Zuko, she looks at her husband with a large smile, it may have been only two weeks but it still felt like a dream for the both of them. Soon Zuko wakes up from his slumber and turns over to look at his wife, he smiles at her and they kiss sweetly before getting up for the day.

* * *

Iroh sits at the small table in the bigger room with his breakfast watching the door to his Nephew Zuko and Zuko's now Wife Rin's room. Iroh waits for them and hears some noise from inside the room and outcomes Rin in her maid uniform for work and an annoyed Zuko. "I don't want you working in that, people look," Zuko complains to his Wife being overprotective, they have been married for two weeks and were coming back to work after their honeymoon.

"Well, how about this, when we get to work I'll talk to the owner and have him let me wear what I want with an apron." Rin calmly remarks as she walks over to the table and taking some food for herself.

"This isn't a joke Rin," Zuko whines but it falls on deaf ears as Rin looks away from him.

"So, what time are we leaving for work?" Rin asks Iroh but he looks at his now angry Nephew.

"Soon, better eat," Iroh replies anyway and Zuko sits down next to his Wife still with a sour face.

"Look, he pays us, if I ask him will that make you happy?" Rin asks her Husband looking at him, they knew that she wasn't happy about the uniform and had already tried reasoning with the Tea Shop Owner but it never worked.

* * *

A house in the upper ring where the Avatar and his friends are using in Ba-Sing-Se, inside Sokka lies down on his stomach on the floor, drawing a childish picture of what is suppose to be Appa, he works intently on the picture with more scattered around. Toph reclines on the floor nearby, while Momo licks her foot, Katara and Aang rush in through the front door. "We found a printer to make our posters." Katara holds up a poster with an expertly drawn image of Appa, while Aang smiles and points at him.

"Hey, I thought designing 'the lost Appa poster' was my job. I've been working all day on my Appa." Sokka complains holding up a poor drawing with a proud smile.

" Sokka, the arrow is on Appa's head," Aang tells him baffled at the picture as Katara struggles to contain her laughter.

"This IS his head." Sokka points at the sketch in his hand.

"Why are feet coming out of it?" Katara asks her older brother as takes the paper from him to get a better look.

"Those are his horn!" Sokka exclaims snatching the paper back but soon hangs his head. "I haven't seen him awhile okay?!"

"It looks _just_ like him to me." Toph teases the Water Tribe teen being ironic.

"Thank you. I worked really…." Sokka starts to say flattered at the compliment but soon realizes that she is blind. "Why do you feel the need to do that?" He asks her.

"Let's just stick with the professional version," Katara says but Sokka just grows frustrated and violently rips the drawing into tiny shreds.

"Come on, let's get busy!" Aang exclaims holding up two stacks of leaflets.

* * *

Aang and Momo soar at rooftop level over Ba-Sing-Se, dropping a stream of leaflets over the city streets.

* * *

Back in the lower ring at the tiny Tea Shop wherein Iroh, Zuko and Rin work, inside Iroh pours tea for a wealthy dressed man and his bodyguard. As Iroh walks away, they sip their tea and smile, then rise to approach him. "So you're the genius behind this incredible brew. The whole city is buzzing about you. And the little lady" The Quon named Quon gleams holding up the teacup in a hand glittering with jewelled rings and does a side glance over to Rin in her maid uniform serving customers. "Hope Pao pays you well."

"Good tea is its own reward," Iroh replies smiling.

"But it doesn't have to be the only reward. How would you like to have your own tea shop?" Quon asks Iroh.

"My own tea shop? This is a dream come true." Iroh remarks stunned by this proposition from the stranger.

"What's going on here? Are you trying to poach my tea maker?" Pao the owner asks as he scampers over to join the conversation throwing himself protectively between Iroh and Quon.

"Sorry Pao, that's business for you, am I right?" Quon questions him.

"Mushie, if you stay, I will make you Assistant Manager. Wait, Senior Assistant Manager." Pao promises increasingly desperately at the thought of losing his employees.

"I'll provide you with a new apartment in the Upper Ring. The Tea Shop is yours to do whatever you want." Quon states this gains both Zuko and Rin to glance over from the tables they are either cleaning or serving. "Complete creative freedom."

"I even get to name the shop?" Iroh asks him thrilled at the thought of his own shop.

"Of course!" Quon exclaims.

"Uh, Senior _Executive_ Assistant Manager?" Pao pleads with him but Iroh sets the teapot into the hands of the shop owner Pai, who grimaces in pain. Pao walks off as Iroh and Quon exchange respectful bows, Zuko and Rin cross over to them and pause as Iroh speaks to them.

"Did you hear Nephew, Rin? This man wants to give us our own Tea Shop in the Upper Ring of the city." Iroh gushes excitedly at the two teens who look at each other happy to get away.

"That's right young man, young lady. Your lives are about to change for the better." Quon informs them as they continue to walk away towards the front door, setting down trays of cups.

"I'll try to contain my joy," Rin replies sarcastically and walks with her hand in Zuko's, they finally leave for better things.

"My life has already changed." Grumbles Zuko as they step outside.

* * *

Zuko closes the door behind them, he steps out to lean against the front of the teashop with Rin in his arms. "We can get some time to ourselves once Uncle is busy with his shop," Zuko comments looking down at his blonde wife in his arms.

"I like that idea." She replies and sees a piece of paper flutters out of the sky, she catches it out of the air and reads it with Zuko looking over her shoulder. The realization of the importance of the piece of paper, Zuko begins scanning the sky for the source of the paper but finds nothing. "Wait." She tells him then moves out of Zuko's arms and climbs to the roof of the shop just as another scattering of the pieces of paper settle to the street. Zuko looks up at her then down at the leaflet once more, his face becomes set with determination. Rin climbs back down to stand next to him and pulls herself close to him as a reminder, he looks at her and smiles, they were in this together.

"Looks like we have some plans to make." He says looking at his amazingly smart wife, who looks at the piece of paper and thoughts of her happiness keep running through her head.

* * *

Inside the cramped apartment complex where Zuko, Iroh and Rin live, Iroh packs his things into a chest and the door slides open for Zuko and Rin to enter. "So, I was thinking about names for my new tea shop. How about the Jasmine Dragon? It's dramatic, poetic, has a nice ring to it" Iroh inquires as they enter and RIn sits down at the table.

"The Avatar's here in Ba-Sing-Se," Rin announces holding out the leaflet they had found. "And he's lost his bison." Iroh takes the leaflet from the teen looking at it.

"We have a chance for a new life here," Iroh says and Zuko walks to stare out of the window, Rin joins him in comfort. "If you start stirring up trouble, we could lose _all_ the good things that have and are happening for us." He reasons.

"Have you ever thought that we want more from life than a nice apartment and jobs serving tea?" Zuko asks him spinning around to face Iroh, clearly irritated.

"There is nothing wrong with a life of peace and prosperity. I suggest you think about what it is that you want for your lives, and why." Iroh insists earnestly.

"I want my destiny and Rin by my side," Zuko answers turning to look outside again.

"What that means is up to you." Iroh points out and Zuko walks away from the window dragging Rin behind him. "The Tea Weevil!" Iroh shakes his head in disgust. "No, that's stupid."

* * *

Inside Zuko and Rin's room Zuko lies down on their bed as Rin packs her stuff, she turns to look at him and smiles. "He is right in some ways," Rin comments going back to her packing, Zuko sits up and looks at her. "We could become homeless again if things go wrong."

"I know that I just want to go back home with you and Uncle," Zuko argues and walks over to her and helps her pack their things.

"I know, I want that too, but we have to plan this carefully, I can't lose you or Iroh you're all I have beside my friends." She replies and they begin to pack their things along with planning their way to finding the bison and getting the Avatar.

* * *

Sokka brushes paste onto a stone wall in a street somewhere in Ba-Sing-Se and plaster up Appa's Poster. Toph leans against the wall next to him with her arms crossed and Momo perches above their heads, while Katara and Aang are pasting up more of them. "Well split up to cover more area, Toph, I guess you should come with me," Sokka suggests.

"Why because you think I can't put up posters on my own?" Toph accuses him peeved and grabs his brush, she slashes glue across the wall, then slams a poster against it, face down. "It's upside-down, isn't it? I'll just go with Sokka." She hands him back his brush, and they all split up to cover more ground.

* * *

In the open square, Katara sticks up another poster to a stone plinth near a flowing water stream, behind her, a familiar voice calls out. "Katara?" She wheels around with a startled gasps as Jet emerges from an alleyway at the edge of the square and walks strides towards the Waterbender. "I think I can help you." He tells her smiling confidently, her shock turns to a blush then into a look of pure outrage, with a sweep of her arms she bends up a pair of towering waves from the stream behind her, sending them crashing towards him. "Katara! I've changed!" He yells at her as he's overwhelmed by the tremendous cascade, and is swept back into the alleyway, sliding over Katara draws a puddle up into a spinning sphere, ready to attack.

"Tell it to some other girl, Jet!" She shouts at him, she freezes the globe of water, she unleashes a barrage of ice spikes down the alley towards him, whirling off-balance, Jet somehow manages to cut them out of the air.

"I don't want to fight you! I'm here to help." Jet assures her holding out his hook-swords, he drops them to the ground as Katara draws closer. She stops her assault, not sure what to think, Jet reaches behind his back for something, feeling threatened Katara pins him with a flurry of ice blades when the others come rushing up behind her.

"Katara, what is it?" Sokka asks not seeing the teen she has pinned to the wall.

"Jet's back." Katara answers. "We can't trust anything Jet says." She warns them.

"But we don't even know why he's here." Sokka reasons.

"I don't care why he's here. Whatever the reason is, it can't be good." Katara says with a hostile tone.

"I'm here to help you find Appa." Jet assures them but still, he is pinned to the wall, he opens his hand letting a leaflet unroll.

"Katara, we have to give him a chance." Aang reasons turning from the leaflet back to Katara.

"I swear, I've changed. I was a troubled person, and I let my anger get out of control. But I don't even have the gang now. I've put all that behind me." Jet promises them.

"You're lying!" Katara yells out bitterly, Toph pushes past Katara and places her palm on the wall close to Jet.

"He's not lying," Toph informs them firmly.

"How can you tell?" Sokka asks her confused about how she was able to get this idea.

"I can feel his breathing and heartbeat. When people lie, there is a physical reaction. He's telling the truth." Toph answers and the other three turn to Katara.

"Katara, we don't have any leads. If Jet says he can take us to Appa, we have to check it out." Aang beseeches her wanting to find his longtime friend.

"Alright…" Katara agrees her shoulders sagging in resignation but stabs her finger at Jet. "But we're not letting you out of our sight!" She warns him stabbing her finger at Jet once more for emphasis, her eyes narrowing at him.

* * *

Jet enters a dimly lit warehouse, which sits empty except for a few sacks, a pile of canvas and rope. "This is the place I heard about." Jet informs them as everyone begins to look around.

"There's nothing here," Aang states as they look around the empty warehouse.

"If this is a trap…" Katara threatens angrily reading to attack.

"I told you, I work nearby! Two guys were talking about some giant furry creature they had. I figured it must be Appa." Jet telling them what he thinks the truth is.

"He was here!" Toph calls out as she discovers a handful of white fur, and the others rush over to her side.

"We missed him." Aang pouts stroking the clump of fur sadly thinking of his best friend when an old white-haired man with a push-broom crosses behind the slumping Aang.

"They took that big thing yesterday." The Janitor informs the young Avatar causing him to straighten up with a shocked look. "Shipped him out to some island. About time, I've been cleaning up fur and various, uh leavings all day." He comments and begins walking off again.

"What island? Where's Appa?" Aang questions him frantically catching up to the man.

"Forman said some rich royal type on Whaletail Island bought him up, guess for a zoo or such, though could be the meat would be good." The Janitor replies wearily.

"We've gotta get to Whaletail Island," Aang instructs anxiously turning to the others, where Sokka reads a map. "Where's Whaletail Island?" He asks the map reader.

"Far. Very far." Sokka replies glumly laying out the map of the world on the floor, pointing to the island. "Here it is. It's near the South Pole almost all the way back home." He tells them and everyone kneels around the map.

"Aang, it'll take us weeks just to get to the tip of the Earth Kingdom. And then we'll need to find a boat to get to the island." Katara states looking at the young Airbender.

"I don't care. We have a chance to find Appa. we have to try." Aang says firmly standing back up.

"Must be nice to visit an island. I haven't had a vacation for years." Janitor comments passing behind them.

"Don't you have some more hair to clean up?" Katara snaps at him crossly trying to get him to leave.

"Shuffle on, I get ya. No more need for 'old sweepy'." He says to himself as the others weren't listening to him.

"You're right Aang," Katara says placing a hand on his shoulder. "Right now, our first concern has to be finding Appa. we can come back when we have him."

"All right, let's get moving," Sokka announces and sets off on their new journey to get Appa back.

"I'll come with you." Jet announces stepping towards them.

"We don't need your help," Katara replies firmly not wanting him to join them after what he had done to them.

"Why won't you trust me?" Jet interrogates her walking after Sokka and Aang.

"Gee, I wonder?" She asks rhetorically with her arms crossed and turns raising her hand in a huff.

"Was this guy your boyfriend or something?" Toph asks as she stands beside the Waterbender as she was still new to the group and had not been there when they had met him and his Freedom Fighters.

"What? No!" Katara exclaims startled and turns her head away.

"I can tell you're lyyyying." Toph teases her and Katara stomps away blushing.

* * *

On the streets of Ba-Sing-Se, Jet walks beside the four heroes as they walk with purpose. "We can take the train out of the wall, but we'll have to walk." Sokka plans out as they walk.

"Don't worry, on the way back, we'll be flying!" Aang cheers happy with thoughts of seeing his friend again.

"We're finally leaving Ba-Sing-Se," Toph says with exaggerated relief and throws her arms up wide. "Worst City ever!" She yells she catches up with the others, Smellerbee and Longshot emerge from a side-street in the distance, both are astonished to see Jet in the street.

"Jet!" Smellerbee shouts out to him, Katara turns in surprise but Jet continues walking indifferently and she looks at him angrily.

"I thought you said you didn't have your gang anymore?" Katara accuses him.

"I don't." He replies bewildered and Smellerbee throws herself against Jet, wrapping her small arms around him with a look of utter relief.

"We were so worried. How did you get away from the Dai Li?" Smellerbee questions her leader.

"The Dai Li?!" Katara exclaims in shock and confusion.

"I don't know what she's talking about?" Jet says and everyone stops drawing closer to Jet and Smellerbee.

"He got arrested by the Dai Li a couple weeks ago. We saw them drag him away." Smellerbee states.

"Why would I be arrested? I've been living peacefully in the city." Jet question them baffled by what she was saying.

"This doesn't make any sense. They're _both_ telling the truth." Toph says as she kneels down, with her palm on the street between them.

"That's impossible," Katara argues not understanding what is happening.

"No, it's not. Toph can't tell who's lying because they _both_ think they're telling the truth. Jet's been brainwashed." Sokka accuses pointing at Jet.

"That's crazy! It can't be." Jet yells in distress and looks around in panic. "Stay away from me." He orders as everyone encircles him and they begin to close in around him.

* * *

Under the night sky, lit by the full moon alone Dai Li agent walks down the street past the entrance to an alley, charging up the street behind him two masked figures of the Blue and Purple Spirit. "Out of my way, skinny." The Blue Spirit orders and the Purple Spirit knocks the Dai Li agent to his knees and continues rushing past him. The Dai Li agent readies his stone-gloves for an attack, but the Blue Spirit turns and disappears down a side street with the Purple Spirit. Rising to his feet, the agent rushes in pursuit of them, he rounds the corner, seeing the two Spirits waiting in the darkness, and launches his stone gloves at them, one after the other. The second stone first removes the Blue Spirit's head, which is really a straw-filled dummy, and the dummies collapse to the ground.

"Huh?" The Dai Li agent questions confused and there is a slight whisper of a drawn blade behind him, and the Blue and Purple Spirit appear to be behind him and places a sword at his throat.

"If you don't want to end up like him. You'll do what we say." The Blue Spirit orders him menacingly.

"Phase one," The Purple Spirit whispers with a smirk hidden under the mask.

* * *

Outside of an apartment, where Momo suspends by his tail from a clothesline, inside the Avatar and his friends along with the Freedom Fighter's crowd around Jet regarding him suspiciously. "The Dai Li must have sent Jet to mislead us, and that janitor was part of their plot too." Katara reasons.

"I bet they have Appa here in the city. Maybe he's in the same place they took Jet." Aang guesses looking at Katara then turns to Jet. "Where did they take you?" He asks him and he sits on a stool, his head hanging low.

"Nowhere." Jet replies confused and raise his head. "I, I don't know what you're talking about."

"We need to find a way to jog his real memories," Aang suggests as he was almost close to finding his friend.

"Maybe Katara could kiss him. That should bring something back." Sokka suggests provokingly.

"Maybe you should kiss him, Sokka." Katara teases.

"Hey, just an idea," Sokka replies slyly.

"A bad one," Aang says annoyed too by the idea he suggested.

"Oo, wait. I got it." Sokka says plucking a straw from his mattress, he pokes it into Jet's mouth in trademark fashion, then regards him thoughtfully.

"I don't think it's working. Puh!" Jet says then spits out the straw into the floor.

"Try to think of something from your past that triggers your emotions," Toph suggests.

"The Fire Nation, remember what they did to your family." Smellerbee insists.

"Close your eyes. Picture it." Katara instructs and he closes his eyes as sweat beads on his forehead, he sees a flash of light and sees his past of what happened to his village and opens his eyes with horror, then droops for a while, exhausted.

"No! It's too painful." Jet exclaims shaken up.

"Maybe this will help," Katara says stepping behind him and drawing out a portion of her bending water. She moves the water around and her hands to the side of his head, and the water glows from her healing powers. Jet stares down at the shadow cast on the floor before him by the light of her healing energy, as his eyes follow the floorboards, gaps appear, revealing blue water. The far side of the room is replaced by the distant shore of a great lake, and Long Feng is seen standing in the distance upon its surface. Long Feng regards Jet grimly, and suddenly Jet plunges down into the dark depths of the lake, he emerges inside a vast man-made subterranean chamber. It changes to him being subjected to the hypnotic light of an orbiting lantern by a pair of Dai Li agents, he shuts his eyes against the light and he is back inside the apartment.

"They took me to a headquarters under the water, like a lake." Jet answers the pressing question.

"Wait! Remember what Joo Dee said? She said she went on vacation to Lake Laogai." Sokka recalls.

"That's it! Lake Laogai." Jet exclaims and jumps to his feet.

* * *

At Lake Laogai it is surrounded by rugged hills on the shore of the great Lake Laogai the Freedom Fighters and Team Avatar line up ready for their next adventure. "So where's this secret headquarters?" Sokka asks.

"Under the lake, I think." Jet responds scratching his head.

"There's a tunnel right there near the shore," Toph answers pointing to her right and walks in the direction, whistling. Reaching the water's edge, Toph jumps up in an Earthbending move, and a stone pathway rises to the surface, Toph walks along it to a stone disc, which she bends aside. Everyone peers down into the dark shaft, and Momo flies away chittering nervously, from the depths of the shaft, the narrow ladder leads up to the tiny circle of light where they all stand, far above.

* * *

In the underground dimly lit base similar to the one in Jet's vision, a crosshatch of large passages lit by greenish lanterns run through the base. When suddenly a pair of Dai Li agents walk off into a side tunnel, and the assembled group cautiously descend a dark stairway to the main chamber. "It's all starting to come back to me." Jet announces leading the group through the passageways and he edges quietly to a partially open door, then moves on, the others following behind him. As they peer inside the room they see rows of identically dressed young women standing hypnotically before a Dai Li agent.

"I'm Joo Dee. Welcome to Ba-Sing-Se." The Dai Li agent recites.

"I'm Joo Dee. Welcome to Ba-Sing-Se." The Joo Dee's all together in perfect unison relay.

"We are so lucky to have our walls to create order." The Dai Li agent recites another verse.

"We are so lucky to have our walls to create order." The Joo Dee's yet again relay in perfect unison.

"I think there might be a cell big enough to hold Appa up ahead." Jet informs them once more leading the others and stops before a sealed stone door. "I think it's through here." The stone door slides away and light spills into the chamber.

* * *

Inside Appa is chained to the floor, and the light from the doorway casts the shadows of two figures on him as the bison rises and moans uncertainty. "Expecting someone else?" Zuko asks him stepping into the chamber with Rin behind him, he draws a sword, Appa shifts nervously in his chains.

"This was too easy," Rin comments looking back at Zuko.

* * *

The door slides open, for Jet and the others behind him but inside a massive shadowy caver, the dark shapes of Dai Li can be barely seen suspended from the ceiling. Far below, the group cautiously enter the chamber, and the stone door abruptly slides shut behind them. They spin around in surprise, as the room plunges into darkness, then green lanterns flare to life, illuminating the vast cave, only now they notice the Dai Li high above them, suspended from chains or clinging to the ceiling, ahead, Long Feng waits with several more Dai Li agents. "Now that's something different," Sokka comments as everyone stares up at the Dai Li agents.

"You have made yourselves enemies of the state." Long Feng informs them grimly and Longshot notches an arrow. "Take them into custody." He orders the Dai Li, they drop down onto the floor, encircling the young group. Two agents launch a stone fist attack, but Toph disintegrates them in mid-fight, as the dust clears, she launches them across the room with a pair of rock pillars.

Behind her, Jet turns around rushing another pair, cutting their stone fist projectiles from the air, sliding along the ground past the first, he trips the second with his hood sword, slamming him hard to the ground.

Long Feng watches dispassionately as Aang deals with two more of his Dai Li agents with air and Earthbending moves. Katara and Sokka manage to destroy two more of the glove projectiles before being seized by two more. Toph intervenes with a stone wall before they can be dragged to the waiting Dai Li, they send a rush of stones towards Toph, but she rises high into the cavern on a pillar of stone, forcing them to pursue her the same way.

Two more Dai Li race up the wall to either side of her, to strike out at Toph with horizontal columns of stone. High in the cavern, Toph swats aside the first two agents, then leaps to avoid the two columns as they crash together beneath her. Landing atop them, she bends up a pair of stone bricks from the columns, using them to drive away both of the remaining agents simultaneously. A fist of stone grabs the back of her shirt, and she is hauled through the air towards a waiting Dai Li. Jet intervenes at the last moment, leaping past he hooks her belt with his sword, pulling her to safety as the agent kicks a stone foot attack after them. Longshot covers them as they land, intercepting the missile with one of his arrows, joined by two of his brethren, the Dai Li retaliate with three fist attacks at Longshot, but Jet cuts them from the air with a whirlwind of slashes.

Meanwhile, Long Feng has seen enough and flees from the room, sealing the stone door behind him but back at the battle, Aang lands on the ground blowing two Dai Li aside with a burst of air. "Long Feng is escaping!" Aang yells out, he and Jet break free from the battle to pursue him, Aang blasts open the stone door.

* * *

They follow him as he turns into yet another chamber, a large room filled with pipe openings. As they enter, the door seals behind them, and Long Feng drops from the ceiling behind them. "Alright Avatar, you've caused me enough problems. This is your last chance. If you want your bison back." Long Feng threatens them.

"You _do_ have Appa. tell me where he is!" Aang demands outraged.

"Agree to exit the city now, and I'll waive all charges against you and allow you to leave with your lost pet." Long Feng negotiates.

"You're in no position to bargains." Jet warns him raising his swords.

"Am I not?" Long Feng ponders.

"You're definitely not!" Aang yells brandishing his staff.

"Jet, The Earth King has invited you to Lake Laogai." Long Feng tells them.

"I am honoured to accept his invitation." Jet replies his pupils dilated and suddenly he makes a brutal double slash at Aang's neck, which he carefully avoids.

Leaping away from Jet, Aang reels backwards in dismay as Jet charges him, snarling in anger.

* * *

Back in Appa's cell he growls and stamps his feet at the Blue and Purple Spirit, who stand just beyond his reach. "You're ours now." Rin purrs moving forward but pauses as the door behind them open and a shadow appears in the light spilling inward, the two Spirits turn ready to attack when Iroh enter the room, closing the door behind him. "Uncle?" Zuko questions, taken back but looks at his partner who won't look at him. She knew this would happen because she had told him afraid of the prospect of losing everything again.

"So, the Blue and Purple Spirit. I wonder who could be behind those masks?" Iroh questions faking his puzzlement.

"What are you doing here?" Zuko asks his Uncle while he and Rin remove their masks.

"I was just about to ask you the same thing. What do you plan to do now that you have found the Avatar's bison? Keep it locked in our new apartment? Should I go put on a pit of tea for him?" Iroh questions his Nephew wanting him to see reason. "If Rin hadn't of told me what was going on you could have been caught or worse and we all do not need this, image if that happened to Rin."

"First we have to get it out of here then we have Shin at a safe house, this is all thought through." Rin reasons, though she had no desire at this point to take the flying bison.

"THEN WHAT? You never think these things through Zuko? Rin at least thinks these things through, she at least has a plan but what could have happened if you hadn't, it would be exactly like what happened when you captured the Avatar at the North Pole! You had him, and then you had nowhere to go! Rin was almost FROZEN" Iroh yells at the two teens as he wants them to see sense.

"I would have figured something out!" Zuko argues back heatedly. "I don't need Rin to always think for me I'm not a child!"

"No! If his friends hadn't found you, you would have both frozen to death! Rin follows you more than she should!" Iroh shouts at them angrily.

"I know my own destiny Uncle," Zuko replies looking away in anguish.

"I don't follow him all the time, I support him and me as his wife it's my duty to _support_ my husband, I love him!" Rin yells angry at those words, she had seen it all her childhood her parents supporting each other.

"Is it your own destiny? Or is it a destiny someone else has tried to force on you?" Iroh questions him forcefully.

"Stop it, Uncle. I have to do this." Zuko warns him in torment and turns away, towards Appa.

"I'm begging you Prince Zuko! It's time for you to look inward, and begin asking yourself the big questions. Who are you? And what do you want? The same for you Rin." Iroh pleads with him in frustration with them for not thinking like they should with their whole lives.

"I don't know what to do," Rin cries looking at the older man for help but turns at a cry of frustration, Zuko hurls both of his swords to the ground, followed by the Blue Spirit mask, Rin drops her Purple Spirit mask and rushes over to Zuko trying to calm him down as he continues to shout while Appa is still anchored by chains on each of his legs, just watches them interact with one another and he couldn't help but feel sorry for the boy and looks at them as the girl consoles the boy with soothing words and the old man walks towards them both bringing them into a tight hug.

* * *

Back with Jet and Aang, he backpedals in a desperate attempt to avoid Jet's furious assault, he pleads with Jet as he continues to dodge his attacks. "Jet, it's me Aang! You don't have to do this" He pleads with him desperately.

"I'm afraid he no longer has a choice." Long Feng tells him standing between them, a panting Jet, pauses to catch his breath. His eyes remain inky pools, and sweat runs down his face, with a shout, he renews his attack, showing evidence of tiring as Aang evades him. The Avatar propels him backwards with a blast of air, Jet slows himself with the hooks of his swords, which spark against the stone floor. Aang takes this opportunity to resume pleading with him to try and stop him from doing more harm to himself and others.

"Het, I'm your friend! Look inside your heart!" Aang pleads as Jet gasps seeming conflict.

"Do your duty Jet." Long Feng orders him and slowly Jet approaches Aang, swords raised.

"He can't make you do this! You're a Freedom Fighter." Aang yells and at those final words, Jet straightens in shock and everything goes white, and images from his past flood his mind. He remembers Smellerbee, brandishing two swords in front of a tent, a dagger clenched in her teeth, he remembers The Duke and Pipsqueak standing together in the old tree fortress. He remembers standing against a shy Katara, cheers of the Freedom Fighter as they feast in the tree fortress and standing with Smellerbee and Longshot aboard the ferry. Him sitting and speaking with Iroh, Zuko and Rin on the ferry deck, handing out food to the passengers, then of him being dragged away by the Dai Li, and the brainwashing beneath the lake. Faces flash by rapidly, Iroh, Rin, Colonel Mongke, Long Fend, his own at various ages, Jet stands motionless, overcome by the thoughts and memories racing through his brain when the voice of Long Feng cuts through his mental fog.

"Do it! Do it now!" Long Feng orders him, and with a snarl of rage, Jet whirls and hurls one of his swords directly at Long Feng, it shrieks towards him, embedding its pommel-spike in the stone wall as Long Feng avoids it. Long Feng simultaneously attacks with his Earthbending, sending an out-thrust of stone rocketing towards Jet. When the dust clears, Jet is lying down on the ground motionless, having taken the full brunt of the brutal attack. Momentarily stunned by the attack, Aang starts rushing over to Long Feng, who lifts himself to the entrance of the tunnel on a column of stone. "Foolish boy. You've chosen your own demise." Long Feng turns and vanishes down the dark passage, as Aang moves over to Jet as he lies on the ground.

"I'm sorry, Aang." Jet says weakly.

"Don't be," Aang replies sitting by his side for comfort and the doorway behind him slides open to his friends. They all rush forward to surround the stricken Jet, wearing expressions of sorrow and shock. Katara draws out her bending water and kneels down beside him, she applies her healing powers on his chest.

"This isn't good," Katara announces turning to the others.

"You guys go find Appa. we'll take care of Jet." Smellerbee tells them.

"We're not going to leave you," Katara argues with the smaller female.

"There's no time. Just go. We'll take care of him. He's our leader." Longshot for the first time speaks and the others look at him with wonder.

"Don't worry Katara, I'll be fine." Jet assures her tenderly and smiles weakly up at her, she closes her eyes in grief before she rises to her feet.

* * *

The Avatar gang go off with weak steps, leaving the Freedom Fighters behind, Toph and Sokka stay behind the other two. "He's lying," Toph says softly to Sokka so the others won't hear her tell him.

* * *

Smellerbee weeps over Jet as Longshot watches the others disappear down another passageway, before readying an arrow to cover the other entrance. Smellerbee strokes Jet's forehead as he prepares his final stand.

* * *

A stone door slides aside to reveal Toph, with the others close behind her, they step into the room where six manacles lie empty within the prison. "Appa's gone. Long Feng beat us here." Aang says defeated.

"If er keep moving, maybe we can catch up to him," Sokka suggests to them trying to shine a little light in their darkness.

* * *

An outcropping of rock bearing a circular stone plug arises at the edge of the lake and cracks form on the plug, it shoots off shattering on the nearby cliff face. The Avatar and friends emerge from the pit and race along the narrow shoreline, Aang glances over his shoulder to see nine Dai Li agents emerge in pursuit from the hole behind them. "Do you think we can outrun them?" Sokka asks as he runs alongside Aang.

"I don't think it's gonna matter," Aang replies as ahead of them are six more Dai Li flanking the waiting Long Feng. The six agents bend up a thirty-foot wall of stone beneath Long Feng's feet, sealing the strip of land between the cliffside and the late. The others draw to a stop, behind them the Dai Li raise up another wall, boxing them inside and enclosed with the eighteen Dai Li, who cling to the edge of the walls and the cliffside while Long Feng watches from atop the first wall. Momo sweeps down out of the sky to land on Aang's shoulder chattering excitedly at something.

"What is it Momo?" Aang asks his lemur friend not really expecting an answer, but Momo launches upward, past Long Feng, he disappears into the bright midday sun. moments later Appa emerges from the dazzling light, hurtling downwards towards them, the four look upwards with expressions of delight. "Appa!" He cheers for his long lost friend and Appa sweeps down smashing through the first wall, continuing onward through the second. The Dai Li perched on the walls are knocked senseless by the bursting walls and fall to the ground or spill into the water. Aang and Toph bend the cliff face that the remaining agents perch on, flinging them far out into the lake. Appa circles around to land heavily near the shaken Long Feng, as the remaining Dai Li flee the scene. Turning from his fleeing men, Long Feng faces an enraged Appa, not good for him.

"I can handle you by myself." Long Feng comments then launch a kick at Appa, who catches his leg with his teeth, with a mighty toss of his powerful neck, Appa sends him skipping far out across Lake Laogai, disappearing with a final splash. The sky-bison pauses momentarily before spitting out his shoe, Aang, Sokka, Katara and Momo throw themselves onto the shaggy bison, while Toph strokes his nose.

"Yeah! Appa!" Sokka cheers hugging his leg.

"I missed you, buddy," Aang tells him as he presses his head into Appa's fur, crying and Appa's gleaming brown eyes close in contentment at seeing his friends again and thankful the others who set him free and would remember them.

* * *

Appa sours over Lake Laogai with the others riding on his back like before, Katara stares down wistfully at the lake's surface, her eyes brimming with unshed tears and thought of Jet. Aang puts a hand on her shoulder, she turns back to them, wiping a fallen tear and the others gather in an embrace, as Appa carries them off into the distance.

* * *

Zuko, Rin and Iroh emerge from the passage that was uncovered originally by Toph into the midday sun. "You did the right thing, nephew, Rin," Iroh tells them and both teens pull out their Spirit masks, Iroh rests a hand on both of their shoulders. "Leave them behind." He tells them as they regard the masks and walk to the edge of the platform then drop the masks into the lake's cold waters, where they slowly sink into the depths below. As they walk away, Rin takes Zuko's hand in hers and looks at him with happiness as they make their way back home to their new life together.

 **Hi there it's DeadGirlEternal here and I just wanted to say I hope you enjoy this chapter so let me know as it really helps me to write when I know you all enjoy my story so review, favourite or follow this book, See ya.**


	10. AN: Memories For Rin

**Hi there it's DeadGirlEternal here and I was thinking about once I've finished this book which is only two chapters away now that I can't decide what memories of Rin's I should do so I thought 'Hey the Readers might like to choose from the ones left or make one up' so how about it let me know out of the other ones left like:**

Rin spending time with her adopted Mother

Rin training with her adopted Father

The death of her adopted Mother

The death of her adopted Father

Rin joining the Fire Nation army

Her meeting Zhao for the first time

Being assigned to watch over Zuko by the Fire Lord

Rin finding out she's adopted and her reaction

 **So let me know as you know I do Rin's memories at the end of the book and what would you like to see? So let me know and I'll pick the best three that you suggest and dedicate it to the person, you can give as many details or as little and leave it to me but please pick soon as I am writing the next chapter now so look out for it. See ya soon!**


	11. Many More Plans

" _Water... Earth... Fire... Air…" Katara voices over as the benders demonstrate as she talks. "My grandmother used to tell me stories about the old days, a time of peace when the Avatar kept the balance between the Water Tribes, Earth Kingdom, Fire Nation, and Air Nomads. But that all changed when the Fire Nation attacked." It journeys into the map showing the world and closes in on a bender displaying all the elements. "Only the Avatar mastered all four elements. Only he could stop the ruthless firebenders. But when the world needed him most, he vanished." He disappears from sight. "A hundred years have passed and the Fire Nation is nearing victory in the war. Two years ago, my father and the men of my tribe journeyed to the Earth Kingdom to help fight against the Fire Nation, leaving me and my brother to look after our tribe." It shows the Water Tribe men on their boats and Katara hugging her older brother Sokka holding up a lantern. "Some people believe that the Avatar was never reborn into the Air Nomads and that the cycle is broken, but I haven't lost hope. I still believe that somehow the Avatar will return to save the world."_

 **Many More Plans**

The three Firebenders make it back to the apartment buildings where they live, Zuko looks crushed as he enters the apartment with Rin holding his hand in worry, followed by a pleased-looking Iroh. "You both did the right thing, letting the Avatar's bison go free." Iroh congratulates them and closes the door behind him.

"I don't feel right," Zuko mutters feebly as his vision begins to blur and grows dark, he suddenly collapses letting go of Rin's hand, falling unconscious to the floor, breaking a vase in the process.

"Zuko!" Rin yells out in alarm kneeling by his side.

"Zuko!" Iroh yells out in alarm along with Rin and rushes to his Nephew's side.

"Iroh, what's wrong with him, what should I do?" Rin asks him panicked as she looks down at Zuko.

"Calm yourself, do you have any friends that can help?" Iroh calmly asks her trying to keep a level head.

"Yes, the King's physician, he owes me a few favours." Rin replies and Iroh looks at her thinking of all the good this young woman has done for others even when thinking of herself as evil and on the wrong side.

"Very well, go find him, I'll keep Zuko safe while you're gone," Iroh instructs her but she seems reluctant to leave him. "He will get worse if you don't." He warns her and this pushes her to leave, she gets up and rushes out of the door.

* * *

Rin races through the streets of Ba-Sing-Se passing through crowds of people using her soldier movements she had learnt from her Father as she makes her way to the Earth King's Palace.

* * *

In the apartment Zuko becomes feverish, tossing and moaning on his and Rin's futon as Iroh kneels next to him, and reaches to take a cloth from a tub of water. "You're burning up. You have an _intense_ fever." He places a damp cloth over Zuko's forehead. "This will help cool you down till Rin gets back," Iroh promises him.

"So thirsty." Zuko groans and tries to sit up, but is pushed back down by Iroh.

"Here's some clean water to drink." Iroh gets the ladle from another bucket and supports Zuko's shoulders while he drinks. "Stay under the blankets, and sweat this out," Iroh instructs him but Zuko snatches the ladle from him and drains it completely. He tosses it away, he turns grabbing the whole bucket, pouring it down his throat and splashing his chest. He hurls it against the wall by the door as it opens before settling back down, coughing.

"So this is my patient, seems healthy enough." A man's voice comments, both Firebenders turn to see Rin with a man in white armour enter the room. Rin rushes over to Zuko's side along with the man as he checks him over.

"Thank you Ban," Rin whispers as she looks down at Zuko with worry in her golden eyes.

A few hours later, Ban had left giving them all instructs on what to do and Iroh continues to sit near a sleeping Zuko and Rin and mops the feverish Zuko's forehead with a damp cloth as instructed by Ban while the young Prince continues to moan and toss with Rin's head resting by his.

* * *

 _In Zuko's dreams, a figure kneels upon the Fire Lord's throne-mat, behind a screen of golden flames. Rows of Fire Nation soldiers kneel on one knee towards the throne, they bow towards Zuko who is clad in the raiment and crown of the Fire Lord, he no longer has his scar on his eye. He sits impassively, while two sinuous dragons, one blue and one red, slither down nearby pillars to address him. "It's getting late. Are you planning to retire soon, my Lord?" The Blue Dragon asks him in Azula's voice._

" _I'm not tired," Zuko responds stoically._

" _Relax, Fire Lord Zuko. Just let go, give into it. Shut your eyes for a while." The Blue Dragon soothes as it draws closer to his face._

" _No, Fire Lord Zuko! Do not listen to the Blue Dragon. You should get out of here right now. Go! Before it's too late!" The Red Dragon thunders in Iroh's voice as both Dragons poise themselves on either side of Zuko._

" _Sleep no, Fire Lord Zuko." The Blue Dragon orders and both Dragons disappear as the throne room is swallowed by inky blackness, and the four pillars crumble around him falling into the void. As the room falls dark, the soldier's armour collapses to the floor, empty, Zuko searches the darkness for Rin but sees nothing, his eyes wide with distress. Two golden eyes appear in the darkness, then the face of the Blue Dragon rapidly draws closer. "Sleep, just like MOTHER!" The Blue Dragon roars and it's jaw gapes open wide, swallowing Zuko in complete darkness, within the darkness a figure of Ursa draws closer, she drops her good as he draws closer._

" _Zuko, help me!" Ursa cries out for her son, who looks at her with distraught, Fire Lord Zuko kneels once more on the throne-mat in a sea of blackness, and a hole opens up beneath him, swallowing everything._

" _Zuko fight it!" Rin's voice shouts from the darkness as he is finally swallowed._

* * *

Back in the apartment, Zuko lies on his side with a feverish grimace as Rin moves her head closer to his as if sensing in her sleep his distress.

* * *

It soon turns to night over Ba-Sing-Se at the apartment building, inside Iroh pours hot tea for the three of them into stoneware cups. "You should know this is not a natural sickness. But that shouldn't stop you from enjoying tea." Iroh says giving Rin her tea then supports Zuko's head as he drinks. "Rin's friend, came over to help, he said that it wasn't a natural sickness." Zuko looks over to Rin as she drinks her tea.

"What? What's happening?" Zuko asks them disorientated.

"You're critical decision, we told Ban what had happened before you collapsed, he said what you did beneath that lake… it was in such conflict with your image of yourself, that you are now at war within your own mind and body." Rin explains as Zuko takes a second sip of the tea.

"What's that mean-" Zuko asks and collapses into a fit of coughing, Rin pats his back trying to soothe his coughing.

"You're going through what Ban calls a metamorphosis, my nephew. It will not be a pleasant experience, but when you come out of it, you will be the beautiful Prince you were always meant to be." Iroh explains as he mops Zuko's forehead with the damp cloth.

* * *

 _Zuko gets some more sleep inside the apartment, he rises from the futon wearily, he walks past the sleeping Iroh and Rin. He slides open a door into a small washroom and splashes water from a basin over his face. Zuko is startled to see his reflection mimics that of the Avatar without his scar, completely bald, and bares the blue arrow tattoo, with a cry, he suddenly starts from his sleep._

* * *

Zuko shouts out sitting up with a jolt, breathing heavily, eyes wide in shock, he places his fingers around his left eyes and closes them as he realizes he still bears his scar.

* * *

At the Earth King's Palace, two lines of soldiers creating a path towards a platform, three Kyoshi Warriors walk past the troops towards the Earth King, as they approach him he begins to address them. "In our hour of need, it is with the highest honour that I welcome our esteemed allies, the Kyoshi Warriors." All three Warriors drop to hands and knees, pressing their heads to the ground. When he finishes his speech, they raise their heads, and we see that it isn't Suki it is, in fact, Azula flanked by Ty Lee and Mai in disguise as the Kyoshi Warriors.

"We are the Earth King's humble servants." Azula lies her voice steady, her eyes cool and deadly as always.

* * *

A beautiful multi-story building in the Inner Ring, on the third floor inside Iroh, cooks at the stove, the apartment is pleasant a vast improvement over the last one in the Lower Ring, Zuko still groggy from sleep, walks out of his and Rin's room who walks out after him wide awake. "What's that smell?" Rin asks the older man as he stirs a thick white paste in a steaming pot.

"It's Jook. I'm sure you wouldn't like it." Iroh warns the two teens and Zuko leans over the pot, inhaling the smell, as Iroh steps back.

"Actually, it smells delicious. I'd love a bowl, Uncle." Zuko tells him nicely and holds out a bowl for him to put some of the concoction in the bowl.

"Do we have any more of last night's rice?" Rin asks getting over to them looking around for something different.

"Yes, we do," Iroh answers as she takes her fill and he looks at Zuko suspiciously. "Now that your fever is gone, you seem different somehow." He ladles some jook into the bowl and Rin walks back to the table eating her food.

"It's a new day. We've got a new apartment, new furniture, each other, and today's the grand opening of your new tea shop. Things are looking up Uncle." Zuko replies optimistically as he moves to kneel at the table next to Rin, he sips from the bowl and looks out the open window. Iroh's once look of concern melts away into a pleased smile at his nephew's new attitude for life.

* * *

In the grandiose throne room of the Earth King, he sits on his golden throne with his bear Bosco resting his chin on one of the throne's arms with Shin standing to his left looking over the room. Azula, Ty Lee and Mai kneel at the foot of the dais, still disguised as the Kyoshi Warriors still fooling everyone. "Look, Bosco, the Kyoshi Warriors are here to protect us. Aren't you excited?" The Earth King asks his furry friend and tugs at Bosco's cheek playfully, but he just yawns. "It's been a difficult week for me. My most trusted advisor, Long Feng, and his Dai Li agents tried to take control of Ba-Sing-Se from me." He turns series as he says this.

"It's terrible when you can't trust the people who are closest to you," Azula replies smoothly with some hidden meaning behind it as it always

"But there is good news. As we speak, the Council of Five is meeting to plan an invasion of The Fire Nation this summer. On the day of a solar eclipse." The Earth King reveals to them while stroking Bosco's head, to this news Azula's eyes widen slightly at this but she remains in control.

"Really? Now that sounds like a fascinating and brilliant plan." Azula feigns enthusiasm as she speaks and all three girls exchange glances.

"My King, is it wise to tell them of these plans?" Shin questions the King but he ignores her and she looks at the three girls knowing who they were from her time in the Fire Nation under Rin's orders.

* * *

In the Upper RIng night has fallen over Ba-Sing-Se, inside a small building Ty Lee smiles as she looks in a mirror at her own reflection. She wipes the last traces of her Kyoshi Warrior makeup from her face, as Mai sits next to her, still working on her own face and Azula paces the floor behind them. "We have been presented with an extraordinary opportunity, girls." Azula theorizes.

"Mai finally gets to wear makeup that's not totally depressing?" Ty Lee teases the sour girl.

"Ha. Ha." Mai deadpans with large, dark splotches of makeup beneath her eyes.

"I'm talking about conquering the _whole_ Earth Kingdom." Azula walks to the window as the two girls turn with looks of shock on their faces. "For a hundred years the Fire Nation has hammered away at Ba-Sing-Se from the outside. But now we are on the inside, and we can take it by ourselves."

"Gosh, you're so confident. I really admire that about you." Ty Lee admires the strong female she calls a friend.

"From the inside, we're in the perfect position to organize a coup and overthrow the Earth King. the key is the Dai Le. whoever controls the Dai Li, controls Ba-Sing-Se." Azula informs them of her plans and turns to face them with a wicked smile.

* * *

In the Upper Ring of Ba-Sing-Se, the night has faded away to morning in an impressive tea-shop with a short amount of stairs lead up to the shop past a bubbling fountain. Inside the opulent building, Iroh, Zuko and Rin stand side by side, overseeing the operation. "Who thought when we came to this city as refugees, that I'd end up owning my own tea shop and you would finally get married. Follow your passion Zuko and Rin, and life will reward you." Iroh says to them but they just look at each other thinking they had already got their reward. Each other.

"Congratulations Uncle." Zuko and Rin tell him together.

"I'm very thankful." He smiles at them.

"You deserve it. The Jasmine Dragon will be the best tea shop in the city." Rin responds confidently.

"No, I'm thankful because you decided to share these special days with me." Iroh chimes at the two teens and puts a hand on their arms in gratitude. "It means more than you know." Zuko gives him a warm hug, to his surprise and Rin joins in the warm hug.

"Now let's make these people some tea," Zuko tells them enthusiastically.

Yes! Let's make some tea!" Iroh cheers eagerly and they laugh and begin to work.

* * *

At the tall stairs of the Earth Palace, a pair of Dai Li agents silently slide down the back of the two closest pillars. Mai sits at the top of the stairs in her Kyoshi Warrior disguise, nearby, Ty Lee is doing toe-touches in similar garb. "I'm tired of wearing this girly disguise. I don't know how anyone can fight in this." Mai complains as usual.

"Maybe that's why it was so easy to beat the Kyoshi Warriors and take their clothes." Ty Lee reasons as the hidden Dai Li agents listen intently to their conversation.

"How much longer do we have to serve the Earth King? If I have to clean up one more pile of bear poop, I'm gonna throw up." Mai complains more.

"Princess Azula promised we would go back to the Fire Nation as soon as we captured the Avatar. We just have to be patient." Ty Lee advises her while stretching.

"Shush up! Do you want the whole Palace to know we're Fire Nation?" Mai warns her anxious about them being overheard and stands to face Ty Lee.

"Sorry." She apologies and the Dai Li agents hear enough so they retreat back up the pillars to report back. As they depart, Azula walks in still in her disguise and walks up to the two other girls.

"Good work girls." Azula praises them as she glances up towards the roof. "I am sure the Dai Li will deliver the message." She smirks as her plan is beginning to be set into motion.

* * *

At the Jasmine Dragon Tea House, a stream of guests inside at its open doors, Katara and Momo walk into the tea shop lot. "What do you say Momo? A cup of tea before we get back to the King?" She asks him and steps side the entrance. "Table for two please."

"Uncle, I need two jasmine, one green and one lychee!" Zuko yells out to him and Katara looks towards the familiar voice, and sees Zuko in a fancy waiters uniform, speaking to Iroh, who is working behind the counter, she frantically searches to find Rin, she sees the blond Fire Nation former General talking to some customers.

"I'm brewing as fast as I can!" Iroh yells back smiling, happy for such business for his new shop, Katara stands in shock as she recognizes them, she turns and flees as fast as she can down the front steps of the tea shop.

* * *

Katara races down the long halls of the Earth King's Palace, message-scroll in hand, breathless, she pulls to a stop before the King's throne, where three 'Kyoshi Warriors' wait kneeling. "Thank goodness you are here, Suki. Something terrible is going on. The Fire Nation has infiltrated the city. I just saw Prince Zuko, his Uncle and General Rin!" Azula's eyes snap open at this news, and she smiles, she catches the movement of one of the soldiers to her left and sees her look of worry. "We have to tell the Earth King right away!" Katara exclaims in urgency.

"Oh, don't worry. I'll be sure to let him know." Azula says as she rises to her feet, Katara stands dumbstruck as she realises who 'Suki' really is, and Momo leaps away with a frightened squeak. Ty Lee rushes towards her with a series of acrobatic flips, striking at Katara's shoulder as she flips behind her. Katara, in the midst of bending water from her reserve, falls paralyzed to the throne room floor, she lies helpless in the pool of water, as the three of them gather around her. "So, Zuzu's in the city too with dear Rin. I think it's time for a family reunion." Azula smirks but didn't know how right she was as Momo, observes the scene from a tall pillar, and leaps away.

* * *

In the steel holding cells of Ba-Sing-Se, Azula is escorted by a pair of Dai Li agents, holding her arms, she is brought into the cell holding Long Feng. "What is this about? Your agents show up in the middle of the night and drag me down here? You will not treat a Kyoshi Warrior this way!" Azula yells in outrage while struggling against her captors.

"But you are not a Kyoshi Warrior, are you?" Long Feng asks her in a sinister voice and rises from his bench. "Princess Azula of the Fire Nation!"

"What do you want?" Azula asks him and stops struggling.

"I want to make a deal. It's time that I regain control of Ba-Sing-Se. And you have something I need." Long Feng negotiates.

"Oh?" She asks him.

"The Earth King's trust." He tells her.

"Why should I help you?" She asks him warily.

"Because I can get _you_ the Avatar." He tells her.

"I'm listening." She tells him as they both smile wickedly.

* * *

Inside the Jasmine Dragon, Zuko sweeps up for the evening as Rin collects in on the empty tables and Iroh clears the tables after her, a man enters the building and walks over to him. "A message from the Royal Palace." The Messenger announces, he bows and hands a scroll to Iroh, he reads it with a look of worry but his eyes soon widen with astonishment.

"I...I can't believe it." Iroh says overcome with emotions.

"What is it, Uncle?" Zuko asks as he and RIn walk over to him worried about what is on the scroll.

"Great news! We've been invited to serve tea to the Earth King!" Iroh gleams as he says this, he runs off excitedly towards the rear of the tea house. Zuko and Rin watch him go with a smile on their faces and hug each other with joy but resume their tidying of the shop.

* * *

The door to Long Feng's cell closes leaving his in shadow as Azula is led away by the Dai Li, head low but as she walks further away, her eyes open and she smiles cruelly as she has so many more plans.

 **Hello, Everyone, it's DeadGirlEternal here hope you like so please favourite, comment or follow if you like my book. Also, don't forget to tell me which of Rin's memories you would like to see, please let me know soon. See ya.**


	12. Conquer of The Truth

" _Water... Earth... Fire... Air…" Katara voices over as the benders demonstrate as she talks. "My grandmother used to tell me stories about the old days, a time of peace when the Avatar kept the balance between the Water Tribes, Earth Kingdom, Fire Nation, and Air Nomads. But that all changed when the Fire Nation attacked." It journeys into the map showing the world and closes in on a bender displaying all the elements. "Only the Avatar mastered all four elements. Only he could stop the ruthless firebenders. But when the world needed him most, he vanished." He disappears from sight. "A hundred years have passed and the Fire Nation is nearing victory in the war. Two years ago, my father and the men of my tribe journeyed to the Earth Kingdom to help fight against the Fire Nation, leaving me and my brother to look after our tribe." It shows the Water Tribe men on their boats and Katara hugging her older brother Sokka holding up a lantern. "Some people believe that the Avatar was never reborn into the Air Nomads and that the cycle is broken, but I haven't lost hope. I still believe that somehow the Avatar will return to save the world."_

 **Conquer of The Truth**

At the Outer Wall of Ba-Sing-Se in the distance with an Ostrich Horse drinking from a small creek, the Ostrich Horse looks up as Appa flies overhead towards the city. "So, what kind of trouble is Katara in?" Sokka asks sceptically at the young Avatar.

"I don't know. In my vision, I just knew she needed help." Aang replies worried about his friend and longtime crush.

"It would be nice if your Avatar powers could be just a little more specific from time to time." Sokka remarks and a rumbling noise can be heard and Sokka points to the ground. "What is that?!" He exclaims and down below, Toph races over the hills, leaving a large trail of dust. Aang brings Appa down quickly to her level to see what is happening and to get their friend. "Need a ride?" He asks her startling her making her lose her concentration, the mound she uses to Earth skate falls apart and she tumbles to the ground, Aang and Sokka watch on painfully.

* * *

In a very large, dark hallway underground it has enormous, ancient statues, in the middle, are many Dai Li agents, all lined up in rows. Azula is accompanied by Mai and Ty Lee in their Kyoshi Warrior disguises, standing on a statue's pedestal and addresses the Dai Li. "The Earth King and The Council of Five do not trust the Dai Li. They imprisoned your leader, Long Feng. Soon they will turn on all of you, and eliminate you. Seizing power today is a matter of life and death." A Dai Li in the crowd lowers his head in anxiety and Azula steps down from the pedestal and comes closer to the agents. "The coup must be swift and decisive. The Earth King, and each of the Five Generals must be taken out simultaneously. Long Feng has placed you in _my_ command while we overthrow the government." She walks towards a Dai Li agent with a scar on his cheek and looks him in the eyes. "If I sense any disloyalty, any hesitation, any weakness at all, I will snuff it out. That is all." Azula finishes her little menacing speech and the agent watches Azula nervously as she walks away. The Dai Li agents turn and all begin to walk away to begin their missions, Azula climbs back up the steps as Ty Lee pours her a cup of tea.

"Nice speech Azula. It was pretty and poetic, but also scary in a good way." Ty Lee compliments her.

"Yeah, I thought you were gonna make that one guy pee his pants," Mai adds in if she could giggle she probably would have.

"There are still a few loose ends. The Avatar, and my brother and Uncle and Rin." Azula tells them menacingly.

* * *

Zuko, Iroh and Rin stand in front of a carriage just outside the Royal Palace, Iroh holds a white, ornate box containing his own tea set. They make their way towards the entrance to the Palace. "Many time, I imagined myself here, at the threshold of the Palace. But I always thought I would be here as a conqueror… instead, we are the Earth King's personal guests, here to serve him tea. Destiny is a funny thing." Iroh marvels at the thought.

"It sure is Uncle." Zuko agrees and smiles taking Rin's hand in his.

* * *

Appa flies over the Outer Wall of Ba-Sing-Se with Aang, Sokka and Toph on his back. "So how did it go with the Guru? Did you master the Avatar State?" Toph asks him but Aang just groans nervously at what the Guru had said before he left.

" _If you leave now, you won't be able to go into the Avatar State at all!" Guru Pathik told him._

"Aang, are you okay?" Sokka asks him worried about his friend.

"I'm great. It went great with the Guru. I completely mastered the Avatar State. Heh heh...heh. Yeah." Aang replies smiling sheepishly.

* * *

In a large, decorated house on the Palace grounds, surrounded by shrubbery, Zuko, Iroh and Rin sit patiently at a table. Before them a small throne set on a raised platform, Iroh pours a cup of tea as they wait for the Earth King to arrive. "What's taking so long?" Zuko asks impatiently as they still wait for the King.

"Maybe the Earth King overslept," Iroh suggests then several Dai Li agents walk into the room with the right and form a circle around the three tea servers.

"Something's not right," Rin warns them and she was right as Azula enters the room.

"It's tea time." Azula mocks them.

"Azula!" Zuko exclaims standing to his feet.

"Have you met the Dai Li? They're Earthbenders, but they have a killer instinct that is so Firebender, I just love it!" Azula marvels at them, Iroh takes the cup he poured tea in and stands up beside Zuko with Rin moving in front of them both to protect them from Azula and her lightning.

"Did I ever tell you how I got the nickname the 'Dragon of the West'?" Iroh asks rhetorically.

"I'm not interested in a lengthy anecdote, Uncle," Azula replies in a bored tone while examining her nails to show her boredom.

"It's more of a demonstration really." Iroh takes a sip of his tea, Zuko looks at his Uncle and smirks. Suddenly Zuko ducks behind Iroh just before the Ex-General enters a Firebending stance, he opens his mouth and breathes a powerful torrent of fire at the Dai Li, like that of a dragon. The agents lower their heads and lift their gloved hands to shield themselves but it doesn't do much good when a purple tinge appears behind them.

They turn around to see Rin clad in purple flames with a scythe made of fire, they show fear in their eyes at the sight of the flames, they had heard such terrible things about. "Fear Me!" Rin shouts and strikes the Dai Li before following after the other two.

* * *

An empty hallway inside the house, Zuko bursts through the wall with a fire blast and runs down the hall. Iroh quickly follows after, still breathing fire at the Dai Li before catching up. Two Dai Li agents come through the hole in the wall and begin firing the small, finger pieces of their rock gloves like bullets with swift thrusts of their hands. The stone bullets barely miss Zuko and Iroh, becoming embedded in the wall, behind them purple fire burns, they turn their heads to see Rin behind them but don't move quick enough as she punches them into the opposite wall in front of the two running Firebenders. They turn to look what caused this, to see Rin in her purple flames running towards them. "We have to hurry!" She yells at them and they continue to run.

* * *

A wall on the outside, the second story of the house, a bolt of lightning breaks through the wall, and a moment after, Iroh jumps out, giving a small shout as he falls on top of a hedge bush in the shape of a bear, now destroyed. Rin follows him landing gracefully behind him her flames dim down back to herself again, Iroh grunts in pain and puts a hand to his head before looking up and calling to Zuko. "Come on. You'll be fine."

"No. I'm tired of running. It's time I faced Azula!" Zuko shouts back, Rin goes to join him but Iroh stops her and Zuko turns around walking back towards the Dai Li and Azula. Iroh slaps his head in frustration and they make their escape.

"We will come back to get him, do not worry Rin." Iroh comforts her as they run.

"I know, I worry for him," Rin replies.

"You are his wife," Iroh simply replies. "We will need help."

"I know where to get it." She tells him and turns a corner quickly making the older man stumble to a stop before following her quick footsteps.

* * *

Zuko inside the building is cornered by Azula and the Dai Li with nowhere to go. "You're so dramatic. What, are you going to do, challenge me to an Agni Kai?" Azula asks him amused almost.

"Yes! I challenge you!" Zuko exclaims in anger and determination to stop his twisted sister.

"No thanks." She declines smiling mockingly at him, but he raises both hands, summoning a large ball of flame, leaning forward he pushes it at his younger sister. Azula watches calmly as two Dai Li step between her and the attack, rising a large, rectangular tile from the floor, blocking the fire blast. Both agents fling their stone gloves at Zuko's feet, trapping him to the floor. Zuko stumbles and places a hand on the floor, which gets pinned down by another glove. Zuko struggles in vain to pull himself free but can not break it, Azula turns her back to him and walks away, two more Dai Li agents step forward shooting their gloves towards him.

* * *

Appa finally made it to the Earth King's Palace, Aang, Sokka and Toph now stand speaking to the Earth King in his throne room with Bosco resting next to the Earth King and Shin standing by his side dressed in her armour. "Katara's fine. You have nothing to worry about." The Earth King reassures them all.

"But, in my vision. I felt so sure that she was in trouble." Aang argues lightly so as not to anger the King.

"Well, she met with the Council of Generals to plan the invasion. And since then she's been off with your friends, the Kyoshi Warriors." The Earth King responds telling them what he was told.

"See Aang? She's with Suki. They're probably back at our apartment right now, talking about makeup or something." Sokka assures him not knowing Suki and the rest of the Kyoshi Warriors were somewhere behind walls and bars not there.

"Okay, maybe you're right." Aang agrees reluctantly as he still has a feeling in his gut that something is not right.

"Believe me, if there was _any_ danger at all, Bosco's animal instinct would sense it." The Earth King tells them and Bosco raises his head, blinking and grunting showing some installations.

* * *

Katara paces around a cave lit up by glowing green crystals, she hears a rumbling noise and looks towards the steep tunnel that leads outside. The stone blocking the entrance slides away by a Dai Li agents, another agent follows behind holding Zuko. "You've got company." The Dai Li announces, he throws pushing Zuko forward, he tumbles to the bottom near Katara.

"Zuko!" Katara exclaims in surprise, but her look of amazement soon turns to loathing as she looks at him. Zuko gets to his knees and stares back at Katara as the Dai Li seal the entrance to the cave, he rushes at the entrance of the cave and slams at it with his hand but it will not move.

"I need to get to Rin," Zuko whispers in despair and Katara watches him, seeing a new side to the banished Prince.

* * *

The house in the Upper Ring of Ba-Sing-Se, Aang and his friends were staying in, the wall that Toph had destroyed is now being reconstructed. Appa lands in front of the house and Aang, Sokka and Toph run inside to find their missing friend.

* * *

They enter the house, but upon entry, they do not find Katara but Momo, he greets them by chattering excitedly and climbing on Aang's shoulders. "Momo!" Aang exclaims in joy at seeing one of his missing friends, they look in the living room, but Katara is still nowhere to be seen in the house.

"There's no one else here," Toph states as she looks all over the house with her Earthbending but sees nothing.

"Katara _is_ in trouble! I knew it!" Aang exclaims in worry for her.

"Oh no." Sokka gulps scared for his sister.

"Wait, someone's at the door," Toph announces pointing back at the door, a moment later, someone knocks on the door. "Actually, I know who it is. It's an old friend of mine. And yours." She walks over to the door and slides it open to reveal Iroh and Rin standing there. "Glad to see you're okay." She smiles.

"We need your help," Rin grumbles not wanting their help and turns to look over her shoulder at Shin and Shai standing behind them.

"Huh-uh!" Aang and Sokka yell out, they go into a pain state and shock at the sight of their old enemies (Shin not in the count). Toph smiles and gives Iroh a friendly wave of the hand while Rin dodges eye contact while Shai and Shin wave at them sharing a smirk.

Aang and Sokka gawk at the two Firebenders in front of them, and Earthbending sisters behind them, Aang points a finger at Iroh. "You guys know each other!" Aang exclaims shocked at this.

"I met him in the woods once and knocked him down. Then he gave me tea and very good advice." Toph reminisces about that small encounter.

"May we come in?" Iroh asks them, Toph nods to them but before he can step foot in, Rin holds him back.

"We do not have time for this!" Rin exclaims in annoyance.

"We do if we want Zuko back," Iroh argues, in a low voice. "We need their help."

"We have help," Rin argues, gesturing back to Shin and Shai, who nod in agreement with her.

"Now, they seem to be in some need of help as well, so let us help each other," Iroh argues softly, knowing she wants her husband back at any cost, but they needed more than just those two.

"Very well, I hope you know what you're doing." Rin grumbles and they turn to see the Avatar and friends watching them closely. "Can we come in?" She asks and Toph nods to them, they all walk into the room.

"Princess Azula is here in Ba-Sing-Se," Iroh announces.

"She must have Katara." Aang agrees, knowing in his heart that was why she was missing.

"She has captured my nephew as well," Iroh adds.

"Then we'll work together to fight Azula, and save Katara and Zuko." Aang remarks.

"Woah there. You lost me at, 'Zuko'" Sokka snaps at the thought of helping Zuko, but he steps back as Rin steps towards him in a threatening manner.

"I know how you must feel about my nephew. But believe me when I tell you there is good inside him." Iroh insists and places his hands on Sokka's shoulders in a pleading way.

"Good inside of him isn't enough. Why don't you come back when it's outside him too, okay?" Sokka suggests as he removes Iroh's hands and shoves him away.

"Katara is in trouble. All of Ba-Sing-Se is in trouble. Working together is our best chance." Aang reasons and Sokka closes his eyes for a second then nods grudgingly, Aang smiles at Sokka thankful for his resolve.

"You don't have much of a choice here, neither do we, you wouldn't make it to where they're being held or pass the Dai Li. So suck it up." Shin instructs looking at the Water Tribe Warrior, he glares at her but she just ignores him.

"Anyway, I brought someone along who might be able to help us," Rin announces, she heads back outside and the others follow her to find a bound and gagged Dai Li agent sitting on the porch. Toph lifts him up by Earthbending two stone slabs on either side of him. Rin pulls down the cloth over his face, showing his to be the same scared agent with the scar from Azula's briefing.

"Azula and Long Feng are plotting a coup. They're going to overthrow the Earth King." The Dai Li answers willingly.

"My sister! Where are they keeping Katara?" Sokka asks him angrily, pointing his machete at the Dai Li agent.

"In the crystal catacombs of old Ba-Sing-Se, deep beneath the palace." The Dai Li answers and they make a quick departure for the Palace to get their loved ones back.

* * *

Long Feng is meditating in his metal prison cell, his eyes closed while conversing with a Dai Li agent outside. "The movements of all the Generals and the Earth King have been plotted out step by step." The Dai Li explains to his superior.

"Good. and the Fire Nation Princess is cooperating?" Long Feng inquires.

"Oh yes! More than cooperating, she's really taken charge. She's terrifying and inspirational all at the same time. It's hard to explain, Very much like the Legendary Purple Reaper all her men were terrified of her but respected her." The Dai Li replies and soon leaves Long Feng getting back to the mission. Long Feng opens his eyes for a moment, full of suspicion for the Fire Nation Princess taking everything from him yet again.

* * *

In the crystal cave, deep underground Zuko sits as Katara paces behind him full of worry. "Why did they throw you in here? Oh, wait. Let me guess. It's a trap. So when Aang shows up to rescue me, you can finally have him in your little Fire Nation clutches." Katara accuses him thinking the worst, she shapes her hands into claws, Zuko turns to look at her for a second before turning back around saying nothing. "You're a terrible person, you know that? Always following us, hunting the Avatar, trying to capture the world's last hope for peace! But what do you care? You're the Fire Lord's Son. Spreading war and violence and hatred is in your blood." She continues to rant.

"You don't know what you're talking about," Zuko responds thinking of calming thoughts as to not get angry.

"I don't? How dare you! You have no idea what this war has put me through. Me personally." She turns her back to Zuko and crouches down. "The Fire Nation took my mother away from me." She places a hand on her necklace as tears roll down her cheek and drip off her chin. Zuko turns his head further and looks sadly at her feeling sympathy for her as he too had lost his mother at a young age, Katara begins sobbing, holding her head to her chest and burying her head in her knees.

"I'm sorry. That's something we have in common." Zuko mutters and makes a full turn towards Katara, who stops crying for a moment to wipe a tear from her face and looks at Zuko, with genuine surprise.

* * *

A few miles above them are Appa, Aang, Iroh, Rin, Momo, Sokka, Shin, Shai and Toph, trying to find a way in, Toph's hand placed on the ground as she looks at what's beneath them by the outside Palace Wall. "Well, whaddya know. There _is_ an ancient city down there, but it's deep." Toph announces waving her fists outward, she Earthbends a small crater in the ground.

"We should split up. Aang, you go with Iroh, Rin and the other two to look for Katara and the angry jerk... no offence." Sokka instructs.

"None taken," Iroh replies.

"Yes, taken, Iroh!" Rin protests but he just calmly smiles at her getting an annoyed glare from her sending shivers down his spine.

"And I'll go with Toph to warn the Earth King about Azula's coup." He finishes.

"Want a real plan, we only need two Earthbenders, Avatar Aang and Shai will do, Shin who is a soldier in the Royal army will go with you," Rin instructs forcefully and they do not protest, Shin walks over to them and Momo jumps on Sokka's shoulder and Shin leads the fastest way to the Earth King.

* * *

Deep underground, Aang and Shai tunnel down using their Earthbending while Rin and Iroh light the way using a flame cupped in their hands. There seems to be a moment of uncomfortable silence between them until Aang decides to break the ice. "So, Toph thinks you give pretty good advice. And great tea." Aang finally speaks.

"The key to both is proper ageing. What's on your mind?" Iroh asks the young Avatar, this gains Rin's attention as Aang pauses for a second to deepen the tunnel with an Earthbending movement synced with Shai before continuing.

"Well, I met with this Guru who was supposed to help me Master the Avatar State, and control this great power. But to do it, I had to let go of someone I love, and I just couldn't" Aang explains his problem.

"Perfection and power are overrated. I think you were very wise to choose happiness and love. Take Rin, for example, she has all four now but she chose perfection and power first then found happiness and love after, perfection and power can not make you truly happy." Iroh advise and they stop again, Aang pushes back Earth with a wave of his arms with Shai as Rin looks ahead thinking on his words.

"What happens if we can't save everyone and beat Azula? Without the Avatar State, what if I am not powerful enough?" Aang asks him.

"I don't know the answer. Sometimes life is like this dark tunnel. You can't always see the light at the end of the tunnel, but if you just keep moving…" Iroh answers him and they come to one last wall of rocks, both Shai and Aang push both their arms forward, Earthbend the rocks out of the way. A green light shines through, they see this and Iroh and Rin share a smile as they extinguish the flames in their hands as the green light washes over them.

* * *

They walk forward and enter the crystal catacombs where Zuko and Katara were being held.

"You will come to a better place." Iroh remarks looking over the catacombs full of glowing green crystals, stalagmites and stalactites, in the back area a waterfall pours into a channel forming two rectangles around several thick, jagged columns.

* * *

At the Palace, Sokka, Toph, Momo and Shin climb the steep steps towards the entrance. "There's General How!" Sokka exclaims but notices the Dai Li agents clinging to the columns supporting the roof, lying in wait as General How walks closer. Sokka grabs Toph and they hide behind one of the columns out of sight, as General How draws closer, one of the other agents drops down and slings a shackle at him, attacking to his wrist. Another agent shackles his other wrist in an arrest, the General growls as they pull the chains, immobilizing his arms. One more Dai Li agent drops in front of General How. "Arghh! What's going on here?!" General How demands.

"You're under house arrest." The Dai Li agent explains as Sokka witnesses General How's capture from behind the pillar, Momo is clinging to Toph's bun.

"The coup is happening right now! We've got to warn the Earth King!" Sokka exclaims in a whisper as not to be heard.

"If we take the main entrance, the Dai Li won't be there, they seem to be after the Five Generals." Shin remarks and Sokka grabs Toph and they run towards the throne room.

* * *

One of the Council of Five strolls down the street, when the General walks over the wooden grating with trails of steam rising through, several chains shoot out from underneath him, ensnaring him and pulling him to the ground. He looks through the grating to see the Dai Li are the ones who are attacking him.

* * *

General Sung, also takes a walk through the city when two chains fly out from a dark alley, grabbing Sung and pulls him into the shadows capturing another one of the Generals.

* * *

Two of the Council of Five study the large map in the war room while three Dai Li agents crawl along the ceiling above them. Without being noticed, the agents drop their chains and shackle the Generals' ankles, the Generals both give a shout as they are swiftly pulled upside down and into the air.

* * *

In the Earth King's throne room he sits on his throne with Bosco by his side, Mai and Ty Lee are there with him, still in their disguises. "Thank goodness we're in time!" Sokka exclaims in relief.

"In time for what? Shin would you please explain..." The Earth King asks him confused but doesn't get to finish.

"Yeah, what are you in time for…" Ty Lee adds and somersaults towards them and lands in front of Sokka, putting her face close to his. "Cute?"

"Uh, I'm kinda involved with Suki," Sokka replies sweating nervously.

"Who?" Ty Lee asks him but before he can answer her, Toph Earthbends a rock underneath Ty Lee. She gives a small shout as she hurls into the air, Ty Lee flips backwards and lands on top of the badger mole in the back of the room.

"They're not the real Kyoshi Warriors!" Toph calls out the truth, the Earth King gasps in shock.

"Sorry to disappoint you." Mai remarks before she flings three double bladed daggers at Toph but Toph senses this too late as Shin Earthbends a slab of rock in front of her and blocks the projectiles.

"My sister would be very upset Mai," Shin comments getting a look of intrigue from Mai as she kicks the slab, sending it flying at her, who jumps over it. A moment after she lands, Toph uses her Earthbending to pop a stone up from underneath Mai, knocking her away. Toph grins victoriously at this little success, Sokka watches the fight while Ty Lee sneaks up next to him, giggling and with a big happy grin on her face. This startles him and steps away from her, Ty Lee proceeds to try to attack Sokka's pressure points in order to disable him, but he learnt from the last time and gives quick movements. Every time Ty Lee tries to hit a join or spot on his body, he ducks, leans, and shifts out of the way in time, often ending up in awkward positions.

"Ooo, it's like we're dancing together." Ty Lee giggles and Azula stands behind the Earth King holding him by the shoulder, the scared King stares at the blue flames Azula holds close to his head.

"This fight… is over." Azula announces Sokka, Toph and Shin raise their hands in surrender, Ty Lee jumps between them and disables them with a series of strikes. Momo soars through the air trying to escape, but a Dai Li agent that entered the throne room with Azula throws his stone gloves at Momo. wrapping around the lemur and Ty Lee watches Momo fall next to her. Azula roughly shoves the Earth King off his throne. "Get them all out of my sight." She orders them, Mai and Ty Lee drag Toph out of the room, while a Dai Li agent drags Sokka by the arm and another agent leads the Earth King, who has Bosco on a leash. The bear moans out sadly at this calling out for help, while Azula has a usual evil smile on her wicked face, Long Feng enters the throne room, following a troop of the Dai Li, all lined in rows, they all stand before Azula with Shin watching on in her e.

"Now comes the part where I double-cross you. Dai Li, arrest the Fire Nation Princess." Long Feng orders them but they do not respond, he turns to them, frowning, and points at Azula. "I said, arrest her." He looks back and forth at the agents but loses his patience. "What is wrong with you?!" He yells at them but still, they don't respond to him.

"It's because they haven't made up their minds. They're waiting to see how this is going to end." Azula informs him.

"What are you talking about?" Long Feng asks her.

"I can see your whole history in your eyes. You were born with nothing, so you had to struggle and connive and claw your way to power. But true power… the divine right to rule… is something you're born with. The fact is, they don't know which one of us is going to be sitting on that throne and which one is going to be bowing down. But I know." Azula speaks and Long Feng begins to sweat, his face is full of hesitation and uncertainty, Azula sits on the Earth King's throne and crosses her legs. "Well?" She asks him, he is now truly frightened, beads of sweat roll down his face as his mouth hangs open, speechless. Azula stares at him coldly and intently, Long Feng closes his eyes and drops his head realizing that he had already lost so he steps forward and bows before Azula.

"You've beaten me at my own game." Long Feng admits defeat.

"Don't flatter yourself. You were never even a player." Azula snaps at him.

* * *

In the underground Katara brings her feet together and looks down shamefully as Zuko sits still. "I'm sorry I yelled at you before." Katara apologises.

"It doesn't matter," Zuko replies.

"It's just that for so long now, whenever I would imagine the face of the enemy, it was your face." She tells him.

"My face. I see." He remarks turning away from her and places a hand on his scar thinking of Rin and what she thinks, that was the only thing he cared about, the women he loves, his wife.

"No, no, that's not what I meant." She says regretfully as she hadn't explained herself properly.

"It's okay. I used to think this scar marked me. The mark of the banished Prince cursed to chase the Avatar forever. But lately, I've realised I'm free to determine my own destiny, even if I'll never be free of my mark." He tells her.

"Maybe you could be free of it." She corrects him and a glimmer of hope flashes in his eyes as he turns back to face her.

"What?" He asks her.

"I have healing abilities." She informs him.

"It's a scar. It can't be healed." He argues lightly, she reaches under her shirt and holds up the water from the Spirit Oasis at the North Pole, given to her by Master Pakku.

"This is water from the Spirit Oasis at the North Pole. It has special properties, so I have been saving it for something important." She tells him and walks up to him and faces him. "I don't know if it would work, but…" She tells him, he stares at her for a moment thinking of Rin before closing his eyes and silently accepting Katara's offer.

Katara places her hand on Zuko's scar examining it before she does anything else, Aang bursts into the tunnel with Iroh, Rin and Shai. "Aang!" Katara exclaims in happiness at seeing him again, Aang stares at Zuko and Katara, confused by how close they are, before Katara runs up to him and they embrace in a warm hug. Aang glares at Zuko while still holding Katara but stops when Rin hug tackles Zuko and starts yelling at him. Zuko just looks up at her smiling warmly, she seems to get angrier at him.

"Zuko, you stupid IDIOT! I will murder you, why can't you stop making me and Uncle worry about you! You IDIOT!" RIn yells at him, but he just moves so they both sit before standing up so Iroh runs over slowly letting Rin calm down and hugging him around his shoulder in a fatherly embrace. Zuko glares at Aang over his Uncle's shoulder and Rin sees this, she turns to share a look with Shai, she nods discreetly and they have a plan. "I'm not done yelling at him yet, Iroh!" Rin shouts pulling Zuko out of the embrace. "Say you're sorry at least." She warns him with a glare, sending shivers down the two Firebenders.

"I'm sorry I worried you both," Zuko apologises and Rin pulls him into a heated kiss shocking Aang and Katara.

Still, inside the cave, Katara places her hands on Aang's shoulders and gives him another hug trying to keep the shock at bay from what they had just seen between the slightly older teens. "Aang, I knew you would come." Katara gleams.

"Uncle, RIn, I don't understand. What are you doing with the Avatar!" Zuko exclaims pointing his finger at Aang.

"Saving you, that's what." Aang snaps back, Zuko snarls at him and tries to lunge at him, but Rin and Iroh grab him, preventing him from starting a fight for now.

"Zuko, it's time we talked." Iroh tells him and turns to Aang and Katara. "Go help your other friends. We'll catch up with you." He tells them, Aang clasps his hands and bows respectfully to Iroh before running back through the hole in the cave with Katara slowly following after him. Rin walks away from them to give them some privacy and talks with Shai as Zuko turns his head away from Iroh wanting Rin with him.

"Why Uncle?" Zuko asks him hurt.

"You are not the man you used to be, Zuko. You are stronger and wiser and freer than you have ever been. And now you have come to the crossroads of destiny. It's time for you to choose. It's time for you to choose good!" Iroh tells his stubborn nephew, Zuko shuts his eyes, absorbing his Uncle's words. Before he can process those words of wisdom, he is startled by a violent quake. A trail of crystal shoots out of the ground until it reaches Iroh, trapping him, Zuko readies himself for an attack, he looks to see Rin and Shai in the same stance.

"Shin should have given her the message," Shai whispers when Azula and two Dai Li agents slide down from the tunnel Zuko had entered through, she advances towards Zuko until he is directly between his Uncle and his Sister with the two Dai Li agents cautiously approaching Rin and Shai.

"I expected this kind of treachery from Uncle, but Zuko, Prince Zuko… you're a lot of things, but you're not a traitor, are you? Rin, Former General Rin, the Purple Reaper, gonna take being a traitor?" Azula asks them knowing their weakness too well.

"Release him immediately!" Zuko demands strongly against his sister.

"It's not too late for either of you Zuko, Rin. You can still redeem yourself." Azula promises them.

"The kind of redemption she offers is not for you both," Iroh warns them.

"Why don't you let them decide, Uncle? I need you both Zuko, Rin. I've plotted every move of this day. This glorious day in Fire Nation history. And the only way we win is together. At the end of this day, you will have your honour back, your title. You will have your Father's love. You will have everything you want." Azula tells them.

"Zuko, Rin, I am begging you, look into your hearts and see what it is that you truly want," Iroh begs them, Zuko looks back at Iroh but is unsure whom to listen to, he shuts his eyes and hangs his head, trying to come to a decision.

"You are free to choose," Azula tells them before waving a hand to the Dai Li agents, signalling them to leave, both Earthbend stone cubes under their feet and slide back up the ramp. Azula departs through the tunnel Aang and Katara had gone through. His mind in turmoil over what actions he should make at this critical moment knowing Rin would follow him no matter what.

* * *

Aang and Katara run through the main part of the catacombs where the waterfall is. "We've got to find Sokka and Toph," Katara tells him, once she says this a stream of blue fire rockets towards them from behind, Aang quickly sensing it turns around and Earthbends a wall of stone to protect them. The fire hits the wall with great force, knocking Aang back a few steps, Azula stands with her fingertips still smoking from the attack. Katara runs around the smouldering wall and bends the water in the channel, she charges at Azula and brings the water crashing down on her. Azula deflects the attack with a short blast of fire, Katara keeps up her momentum and spins the water around her, smashing it into the floor and creating a large wave. Azula stomps the ground and flings her hands out, making a wall of fire that evaporates the wave coming at her. The resulting steam hides Azula from their view, Aang and Katara look around for her, preparing for a sneak attack.

A moment later, Azula jumps out of the steam from one of the larger crystals high above them. She attacks with two blue fireballs, which Aang and Katara extinguish them by bending the water from the channel into a shield, Azula lands on a piece of rock jutting out from one of the large columns. Aang shoots his fists forward and brings his palms down, sending a shockwave through the ground and into the column, destroying it. Azula gasps and drops down between Aang and Katara, pointing her fingers at both of them, she looks back and forth between the two of them nervously, waiting for their next move.

Suddenly, a blast of red fire lands between Aang and Azula, they shield themselves from it and turn towards the new opponent, Zuko. He got rid of his outer robes now wearing a simple brown shirt and brown pants, Zuko draws closer to them, poised in his Firebending stance. He looks to Azula, who gazes back at him harshly, then looks to Aang who gasps just before Zuko punches forward, shooting a fireball at him. Aang reacts just in time and protects himself by Airbending a spiral of wind around his body. He jumps back to gain some distance as the flame disperses, Azula smiles at Zuko's decision and attacks Katara, waving her arm in an arc throwing a jet of fire at the Waterbender with an underhand toss. Katara bends the water from her flask and extinguishes the fire, Zuko, furiously sends fireballs at Aang with a series of punches. "Doesn't seem like we're needed," Shai comments looking at the fighting as she and Rin walk by over to the next tunnel.

"Seems so," Rin agrees with a smirk before she twirls her hand around creating a ball of purple fire as she continues to twirl her hand around the ball it gets bigger. "Doesn't seem fair, does it." She jokes looking at them.

* * *

Sokka looks through the small, barred window of a metallic holding cell, with Toph, the Earth King and Momo in the same prison that Long Feng had once been put in, he shifts his eyes from side to side, on the lookout. "See any Dai Li agents nearby?" Toph asks him.

"Nope. All clear." Sokka reports and she cracks her knuckles walking to the door, placing both hands on the metal surface. With a screech, the metal door collapses inward, dents forming all over it, the door bursts forward, bouncing off the walls several times. Toph runs out, followed by Momo, Sokka grabs the Earth King by the hand and they make their escape. "Let's go!" He yells.

"I'm not leaving without Bosco!" The Earth King demands as they run.

* * *

Back at the fight in the crystal catacombs, Zuko assaults Aang with a rapid barrage of fireballs. Aang quickly runs around in a circle at high speed, creating a whirlwind that blocks the attacks, with his momentum built up, Aang comes to a halt and throws his chest out, sending forth a gust of air in the shape of his body. Zuko gasps just as the gust hits him, blowing him back several feet but is almost knocked to the ground when a large human size purple fireball hits the ground in front of the Avatar stopping the wind and RIn keeps Zuko upright. Aang leaps forward and attempts to attack Zuko and Rin with a blast of wind, but Rin pushes Zuko out of the way and just in time rolls out of the way and counters it with a blast of fire to Aang's legs. Aang jumps high into the air landing on a column, Zuko springs to his feet and shoots more fireballs partnered with Rin at Aang. Aang hops out of the way landing on the tip of a large, pointy crystal sticking out of the stone wall high above. Zuko lowers his stance and coils his body, gathering energy, and launches a mighty blast of fire at the Avatar. Aang lifts his arms, Earthbending the crystal below him to rise up and block the attack, Rin jumps into the air with a slight fire boost at her feet, she fire blasts adding to Zuko's making a mix of orange and purple, the fire blast is too powerful on contact, it shatters the crystals and Aang gets blown back by the force. Zuko pulls back his still flaming fist bringing both fists down to his side, but holds them back out as Rin falls back down into his arms, they share a moment before getting back into the fight. Rin stands next to him creating two large, thick flames at her side, waving her arms, Rin turns the flames into long, searing whips of fire, seeing this Zuko copies her movements. Aang recovers and readies himself for a new attack, crouching on top of a cluster of crystals, Zuko swings both his whips at Aang, who jumps away as the fire whips slice through the crystals. As Aang lands at the top of a cliff, with no time to relax as Rin follows up the attack. Aang jumps over the burning whips as another set follows after him as he makes it onto a nearby column. Zuko lings the fire whip around and continues his and Rin's relentless attacks on him.

Azula lands feet first on the floor, a puddle of water beneath her, as she and Katara run towards each other. Katara stops and bends the puddle, lifting it up with one arm and thrusting it at Azula with the other, she takes a step out of the way and watches the water pass just inches by her face and cut a few hairs from her bangs.

Zuko spins his fire whips over his head, swinging the burning tendrils at Aang, who clings to a stalactite. Aang jumps away to another stalactite and the fire whips from Rin cut through the one he was just one. Aang pushes off of the stalactite with his legs and kicks another one, causing the tip to break and fall off, Aang grabs the upper part still attached to the ceiling, swinging down under it and kicks off, hurling himself down. Aang turns himself right side up and slams his fists down into the falling stalactite, plunging it downwards. The stone hits the floor, kicking up dust and creating a large crater, Zuko and Rin get blown back by the shock wave and Zuko pulls Rin into his chest as his body hits a crystal cluster.

Katara bends a puddle on the ground and lobs it at Azula, knocking her to her knees, as Azula starts to get back to her feet, Katara bends the water all around her body. She creates two long tentacles of water where her arms are and lifts them high into the air, Azula leans forward thrusting out her fists, releasing a blast of fire, but it is quickly extinguished as one of the water tentacles wraps around Azula's outstretched arm. Katara controls the water, swirling it around with her hand, and swings the other water tentacle down at Azula. She tries to counter with a straight thrust kick, but the blue flame shot out is also extinguished and the tentacle wraps around her leg. Katara raises her arms and Azula is lifted into the air, shouting in fright, just when it seems she is finished, Rin performs a leaping overhead kick, punching downward to gather energy before hopping into the air and bringing her leg up, creating a large arc of flame. Rin lands and brings her foot down, hurling the flame forward, the arc of fire passes over the channel slicing through the water tentacles, freeing Azula. "Though you could use some help, old friend." Rin taunts her, with a smirk and Azula smiles at her back before turning her attention to Aang as he crawls out of the crater, still dizzied by his last attack with Zuko waiting for him to attack. Azula sets her eyes on the Airbender and lunges after him tapping Zuko's shoulder as she passes and Azula switch places with him so he and Rin can take on Katara. Zuko turns back throwing two lances of fire at Katara, which she extinguishes with her water tentacles but gets hit in the side with a kick from Rin making her stumbles slight.

"I thought you have changed!" Katara shouts at them as she swings her water down at Zuko in rage but Zuko's tendrils of fire and Katara's tentacles of water clash together over the channel, both equal in strength.

"I have changed," Zuko replies and nods to Rin and she brings her hand up then chops horizontally, sending out a blast of fire.

Azula smiles confidently while Aang looks determined to win, she brings her hands up and pushes them back while stepping forward, creating two large burning balls of blue fire. She shifts her feet and jets of fire shoot from her soles, the small explosions causing her to rocket forward. Aang raises his arms and Earthbends the crystals around him, covering his body with them and creating a suit of glistening green armour. He puts both arms forward and slides over the ground, coming at Azula head on as she rockets forward. Both look like they are about to collide until Azula hops and slides her foot forward, flinging all of the built up fire at Aang, he crosses his arms and tries to defend himself, but the powerful attack shatters the crystal armour and sends him crashing into a wall on a cliff up above.

* * *

In the Earth King's throne room, Mai and Ty Lee are there with Bosco, the Fire Nation girls now are back in their normal clothes with Mai sitting on the steps leading up to the throne and Ty Lee is playing with Bosco. "Come on, it's easy. You just walk on your front paws instead of your rear ones. Like this." Ty Lee instructs the bear and demonstrates a handstand, she begins walking forward on her palms. Suddenly, the floor beneath her surrounds Ty Lee's arms, catching her by surprise, she falls forward and the stone wraps around her feet as well, leaving her bent backwards with her belly sticking up. Bosco grows and claps his paws happily at Ty Lee's awkward position and Toph, Sokka and the Earth King stand in front of the large doorway.

"That _is_ a nice trick." Toph teases her and Sokka pulls out his boomerang and Toph stomps the ground, lifting a large stone block and Mai just waves a hand at them.

"Just take the bear," Mai tells them apathetically and the Earth King runs up to Bosco hugging him around the head.

"Bosco!" The Earth King exclaims in happiness, Bosco growls happily as the Earth King buries his face in the bear's fur and snuggles him.

* * *

The fight down in the catacombs continues as Zuko chops downward, flinging one of his fiery whips at Katara, who deflects it with her water tentacle. As Katara counter attacks, Rin leaps from the ground high enough in the air and shoots a blast of fire down at her. Katara deflects the attack and another blast of fire from Zuko by bending her water into a wall. Zuko swings an arc of fire and Rin shoots a purple fireball at her, the fireball makes a direct hit and Katara gets blown back, colliding with a cluster of crystals. She falls to the ground, unconscious her hair comes undone and flows freely. Rin and Zuko are joined by Azula and turn their heads towards a rumbling noise behind them as Aang launches dozens of feet into the air, kicking up and enormous dust cloud. Aang slams his body into the floor, cracking the stone ground, and a moment later comes charging at the Firebenders by riding on a rolling mound of rocks. Zuko, Rin and Azula ready themselves for the attack, Aang furious and determined, but just as he gets close enough, a Dai Li agent jumps in front of him and lifts his arms, destroying the mound with his Earthbending and sending Aang to the floor.

Aang wearily picks himself up and looks around the catacomb as many more Dai Li agents jump down from the cliffs above, forming long rows behind the three Firebenders. Katara slips out of unconsciousness just as the Dai Li surround around her, she bends the water from the channel and forms a ring of water around her. The water sprouts eight tentacles as she enters the octopus stance, Aang enters his own fighting stance and prepares to face his many opponents. He then looks over to Katara, who is desperately fighting off the Dai Li agents. "There's too many," Aang states as he remembers what Guru Pathik told him.

" _The only way is to let her go."_ He had told him.

"I'm sorry Katara." He tells her and turns around Earthbending several crystals out of the ground to form a tent over him, he sits down and begins to meditate.

* * *

 _Inside Aang's mind, where he once again comes face to face with the Avatar Spirit residing inside him, high above the world and surrounded by the starry heavens. The Avatar Spirit surround Aang in a swirling orb between its hands, and Aang's arrow glows._

* * *

Back in the physical world, Aang's arrow begins to glow there as well, illuminating the crystals that surround him. Zuko and the Dai Li agents seem frightened but also enchanted by this light, finally, Aang opens his eyes, which glow with great intensity as this happens RIn sees flashes of images inside her head of the day she was born. Tears fall from her eyes but she wipes them away quickly as an incredible explosion of spiritual power destroys the crystals. The Dai Li agents shield themselves from the blast, Aang rises from the ground in a bright pillar of cosmic light. Katara looks up at Aang, hope returning to her, Aang levitates in the air until suddenly, a bolt of lightning strikes his body. Aang writhing in pain reflects in Azula's eyes, as she smiles confidently as smoke rises from her extended fingers.

* * *

 _Inside Aang's mind, the swirling cosmic ball vanishes and the Avatar Spirit falls and fades away along with the path of light, Aang stands alone. Aang's body plummets to the Earth below._

* * *

Back in the physical world, Aang's body falls to the ground, his clothes charred, and a terrible wound on his back where he was struck, as well as a burnt spot on the sole of his foot where the lightning exited. Katara stares in shock and horror, tears rolling down her face, she turns her body and swirls the water around her. Katara creates a large wave riding on top of it towards Aang, arms spread behind him. The wave rolls over Zuko and the Dai Li, washing them away, Katara catches Aang landing on the ground, the water flows away from her. She holds Aang's unconscious body and looks up hopelessly, Zuko and Azula begin advancing on Katara and the fallen Aang as Rin stands stoic her eyes turning purple.

The two unaware of this till a purple tinge glows from behind them, they all turn their eyes towards Rin as flames circle around the ground surrounding her when a cyclone begins to form around her, it soon stops showing Rin again but they see her hair grown out long again and her eyes turned purple. Zuko tries to get closer to her but Azula feeling the power coming from her stops him when an image of Chava outlines Rin, Iroh now free from his captive state looks to see the Spirit of Life. "I am Chava, Spirit of Life, hear my warning. Rinako my daughter and the Spirit of Death are one! Fear her! Love her! Keep her safe!" Chava warns them all and the light around Rin dims down, Rin's eyes go back to her normal golden hue, she falls unconscious falling to the ground, but Zuko catches her in time.

"I will love, fear and keep you safe Rin, I promise," Zuko vows in a whisper and gently lies her down on the ground making sure she is okay before joining his sister again. They advance on Katara and the fallen Aang when a fire blast hits the ground in front of them. Iroh jumps down from a cliff landing between Katara and his Niece and Nephew, entering his battle stance.

"You've got to get out of here! I'll hold them off as long as I can now that Rin is out!" Iroh yells at Katara and punches left and right, shooting fire blasts at any potential attackers, as Katara makes her escape with Aang. He lowers his stance and defends against the stone gloves the Dai Li agents throw at him, he waves both hands forward and flings powerful blast of fire from his fingertips. Katara goes to the waterfall and bends the water, she forms arising and twisting current that lifts her and Aang upward. Iroh ceases his attack and quietly surrenders once they are out of danger, two Dai Li agents bend a ring of crystals around Iroh and trap him. Zuko stares blankly at his Uncle, he stares back at his Nephew for a moment and turns his head down sadly, saying nothing. Zuko walks away over to Rin and picks her up holding her tight in his arms, knowing he at least had someone who would stay by his side, forever.

* * *

The Earth King, Bosco, Sokka, Toph, Momo, Katara and Aang ride on Appa in the sky above, night has fallen over and the sky is dark setting the mood they all feel. Katara lays Aang down on Appa's shoulders taking out the Oasis water, she removes the top of the container and bends the small amount of water out of it. She holds it over her palm and makes it spin in a small circle until it begins to glow with energy. The others watch as Katara lifts Aang and places the water over the wound on his back. It lowers into the wound and enters Aang's body, Katara holds him close and begins to cry out of sadness and worry for her dear friend. For an instant, Aang's arrow glows, and a second later he groans from the recovery, Katara gasps then smiles joyfully, turning Aang around to look at him, Aang smiles back as he looks at her. Katara pulls Aang to her holding him close, grateful that he is still alive like the rest of them.

* * *

In the Earth King's throne room Azula sits on the throne while Zuko stands next to her with Rin in his arms still unconscious. "We've done it Zuko. It's taken a hundred years, but the Fire Nation has conquered Ba-Sing-Se." Azula gleans sinisterly.

"I betrayed Uncle," Zuko comments with regret.

"No, he betrayed you, Zuko, when we return him, Father will welcome you and Rin as war heroes," Azula tells him.

"But I don't have the Avatar. What if Father doesn't restore my honour?" Zuko asks her and she stands placing a hand on his shoulder but he looks at her sadly.

"He doesn't need to Zuko. Today, you restored your own honour." Azula remarks he turns away from Azula looking down at Rin pensively thinking of what she will say once she wakes up when she wakes up.

* * *

Appa files away from the City of Ba-Sing-Se and the Earth King loos sadly as he leaves the only home he's ever known. "The Earth Kingdom… has fallen." He says hopelessly, Katara holds a now sleeping Aang next to her, she looks onward as Appa flies over the outer wall and into the dark, cloudy horizon.

* * *

In a large bedroom in Ba-Sing-Se Earth King's Palace, Rin lies in the oversized bed with Zuko sitting on the side waiting for her to wake up. It had been three days and yet she still hadn't woken up and he was worried even more, Ban, her Doctor friend couldn't explain this, no one could. Azula had tried to get him to leave the room but he wouldn't leave his wife, he couldn't do it, he still hadn't told anyone yet that they were even together, so it raised some questions from Azula and the others but still, he had to stay with her. His thoughts were interrupted when in the silence a small groan could be heard, it came from Rin, he snaps his head in her direction to see she is waking up, slowly. He jumps to his feet to see her eyes opening up and races to the door. "Ban, Rin is waking up, get here now!" Zuko shouts down the hall, he hears more than one step of footsteps but pays no mind and races to Rin's side.

"Where are we?" Rin asks him quietly, now fully awake, she tries getting up but seems to struggle, Ban enters the room and walks over to her side, with Ty Lee, Mai, Shin and Shai behind him.

"So, finally awake I see." Ban comments and begins checking her over as the three Fire Nation teens watch.

"I'm starving, how long have I been asleep?" Rin asks around the room.

"Three days, but you seem healthy as always," Ban tells her, he hugs her quickly before walking to the door. "I'll see you on the boat." He adds, he closes the door behind him and she turns to her husband and friends.

"So, we got Ba-Sing-Se," Rin comments trying to avoid the question they were all thinking.

"Don't even, your real Mother is Chava, the Spirit of Life?" Ty Lee asks her with a little excitement.

"I guess so, but please let me eat." Rin replies and Mai nods and walks to the door getting a plate of food as if she already knew, she gives it to Rin and she sees her favourite food. "You know me too well, Mai." She laughs and begins to eat.

"Did you find anything else out?" Mai asks her.

"I can't really remember a lot of it, but I remember being taken over by Chava or my Mother and seeing somethings, but they're kind of fuzzy at the moment," Rin tells them and Zuko just wanted to have her to himself but he had to wait till later.

"We're all just glad your okay," Zuko tells her but she could hear the undertone and she smiles lovingly at him but it goes unnoticed by the two Fire Nation teens.

"So, you're full name is Rinako?" Shai asks her and Rin just laughs and they all join in.

"Yeah, that's my real name." Rin answers and she smiles at her friends and thinks about what she saw when she was taken over by her Mother, she saw the day of her birth and when that Nurse had taken her to the Yuu family and images of her Mother and Father but it was still unclear and couldn't see his faces but could make out he was slightly older than her Mother with white hair but still couldn't make it out his face.

"We will hopefully be able to get back home soon," Shin tells her, though it may not be Shai and Shin's home they were welcome to join them as they had betrayed the Earth Kingdom for them.

"Good," Rin replies but thought of what would happen when she and Zuko would come home, would it be for the better or worse?

 **Hey there, it's DeadGirlEterenal here as you know this is the last episode of Book 2 so I will be doing three of Rin's memories, let me know what ones you want to see either from the list on Rin's Memories a few chapters away or give me a new one but let me know soon as I won't be starting the next book quite yet. So please let me know thank you for reading my books, for commenting and favouriting them it means the world to me, see ya soon.**


	13. I'm Different

**I'm Different!**

 _Rin's POV:_

I stand at the counter of the small tea shop in the Lower Ring of the Earth Kingdom Capital Ba-Sing-Se, while Zuko and Iroh clean up after today, I keep thinking about today it seems so long ago when I found out I was adopted, that I wasn't related to Sai and Jou my Mum and Dad. It was just before my Mother died of sickness, I was only five. It was Azula's fault.

* * *

 _It was 12 years ago, I was still training to join the Fire Nation Army with my Father, he was excited always making me train and today was no exception. I was training in the back garden with my Mother, she was watching me as I used my purple flames. She loves watching the purple flames dance as I practice my Firebending, I was a prodigy Father said. I was happy that I was making Father proud, I stop moving as I heard shouting coming from inside the house, it was Father's voice. "No, I have leave, you can't order me to battle now!" He shouted to someone, my Mother stood up from the bench she was watching from and rushed into the house to my Father and I followed after her._

* * *

 _We both walked into the front room to see my Father in his usual clothes while he was talking to a man in armour. "No, it's my leave, I already told Fire Lord Azulon, I can't leave my Wife and Daughter for some meeting," Father argued loudly with the soldier._

" _I understand General Jou, but Fire Lord Azulon would like a quick briefing and then you can come back home, I promise you General." The Soldier assured him, but my Father just looked at him annoyed._

" _Fine, I will go, wait outside." Father ordered the man and he left through the front door after he left and Father turned to Mother and I. "I won't be long, I'll be at the Palace if you need me." He told us, I looked at him sadly._

" _Father, what about my training?" I asked him, he looked at me and kneeled down to my level._

" _I will be back soon," Father promised, but I wanted to spend time with my Father so I clung onto his leg not letting go, he looked down at me, he knew I wasn't going to let go. "I guess I will have to take you with me, but you can not go into the War Room, wait in the garden, train a little." He told me and we got ready to leave for the Palace._

* * *

 _We made it to the Fire Lord's Palace, Father was inside the War Room while I was training in the Royal Garden waiting for him. I Firebended using my Purple Flames, people walked around looking at the unusual colour I had, I ignored all the looks I was receiving._

 _Sometime later I was still training my Firebending when I heard clumsy footsteps from behind me, I looked behind me to see the young Princess Azula she was only three at the time and didn't really know what she was doing. "Hello, Princess Azula." I greeted her bowing to her slightly, she was smaller than me and looked at my hands, I knew what she wanted to see and lit my hand with my purple flame._

" _You're weird." Princess Azula stated, I let it go as she was only three, so I did not take it to heart. She looked at me, starting with my hair to my feet, I was dressed in my best clothes as Mother wanted me to look my best, but it was slightly more difficult to train in. "Why is your hair blond?" She asked me, I myself didn't know the answer to that and I never wanted to ask the question but know I wanted to know the answer to that._

* * *

 _We soon made it home, I wanted to ask my parents that question that Princess Azula had asked me. "Mother, Father, why is my hair blond and yours is black?" I asked them that night before bed, they looked at me shocked at what I had asked, they didn't seem to have an answer. "I'm different to everyone, I have blond hair and purple fire but everyone else has black or brown hair and the normal fire like Father but I'm weird!" I started crying, I had always felt different all my life even now I know I am different. As I began to whale, my Mother tried comforting me but when she tried to hug me I burned her, my body began to burst into my purple flames making me sadder and sobbed and cried and cried. My Father and Mother just watched me for a few seconds hoping in some way I would stop but I didn't and my Father walked away from me and soon came back with a blanket with a note attached to it._

" _The Great Spirit gave you to us, we found you on the Day of your Birthday on our front step and we took you in, we love you as if you were our own because Rin you are our daughter no matter what anyone says." Father told me and I looked at the note it said 'This is Rin_ _ako_ _, Treat her well, Love C X'. I wanted to know who C was, was it my real Mother or was it someone else, I don't think I will ever know and to be honest I really couldn't care anymore. I stopped crying thinking the worst that I was abandoned to these good caring people and stopped my flames and rushed into their arms with tears still evident on my chubby cheeks._

* * *

 _That night I went to bed and thought about my day and I decided I really don't like Princess Azula, she's mean even if she is three years old._

 **Hey There It's DeadGirlEternal Here, hope you like so let me know by Favouriting, or reviewing so I'll see you for the next two chapter then this book here is done!**


	14. Darling Daughter

**Darling Daughter**

 _Chava's POV:_

Seeing my Daughter Rinako always gives me joy, I wish I could still walk the Earthly Plane but after giving birth to her I became too weak and could not keep hold of my Human vessel but I do not regret my decision to fall in love and to give birth to Rinako. My only regret is that Jeong Jeong could not raise our daughter thanks to that horrible nurse, it would have been a sight and he would love her I know it. I've watched over Rinako her whole life, she has been amazing, learning things at a fast pace, she could walk before her first birthday and became a Firebending prodigy which I know her Father would be proud of. I do like the couple that horrible nurse gave her to but she should have been given to her real Father, he unlike me missed out on her life and she still doesn't know who her Father is even though I gave her images of him, she seems unaware of who he is. I remember her first birthday, Jeong Jeong would have loved to be there but he was already gone and I could not do anything to stop him as a spirit of Life I have to look after my Spirit family in the Spirit Realm but seeing my Daughter's first birthday nothing would stop me.

* * *

 _It has been a year today since I gave birth to my Darling Daughter Rinako now named Rin by the Yuu's Jou and Sai, but they did not know when she was really born so the day they found her on their front step they call her birthday which is tomorrow._

 _Rin is a small baby with little blond hair, which makes her stand out like I did when I had my human form, but she has her Father's eyes, beautiful golden hue. I can feel such energy from her, she will one day make an amazing Spirit of Death. I wish I could hold Rin like times when like now, she has fallen over in front of me, but out of instincts I kneel down trying to pick her up to stop her from crying but my hands just go through, but I still watch over her, it still hasn't stopped me from watching her and protecting her in my own way. Sometimes I think she can see me like now she looks up at my face smiling as she gets herself up and continues to run around the home making sure not to bump into me even though I am not really here. This is both torture and wonderful as I can see my Darling Daughter but I can not hold her or raise her like I had wished for both me and Jeong Jeong._

* * *

 _They finally celebrate Rinako's birthday, the day after she was actually born, she was one yesterday but still, they have a small celebration as she hasn't got any friends yet, she blows out her candles on her birthday, making a wish, I hear something. "I call to the Spirit of Life, Chave, hear my prays, save my daughter!" A man's voice can be heard on the wind, I ignore it I want to spend as much time as I can with Rinako but I know I must save this life, as all life is special but I can't bring myself to move away watching Rinako gleam with happiness with her adopted parents and still I wish I could hold her and be the one celebrating this day or yesterday with Jeong Jeong._

* * *

I get pulled out of my thoughts on Rinako's first birthday as I get that feeling of being pulled like I always do when someone calls for my help, it feels different almost familiar. "I call to you Spirit of Life, Chava to hear my call, please grace me with your presence." It was Jeong Jeong, he was calling me finally, he never called for me, when I told him I was actually the Spirit of Life, he just laughed thinking I was joking, I knew at the time he would one day call upon me if I had to return to the Spirit Realm, just didn't think it would take SEVENTEEN YEARS!.

* * *

I rush to his side, he still calls out to me and I bring his Spirit into my Realm so he can see me like what Roku had done. "Hello my love," I greet him, he snaps his eyes open to see me standing before him, he jumps to his feet bracing me into a hug, squeezing the almost life out of me. I return the embrace, happy to be in his arms again.

 **Hi there it's DeadGirlEternal here, please review, favourite, follow, thanks one more chapter coming soon, maybe short like this!**


	15. Doomed or Lucky?

**Doomed Or Lucky**

When people ask why I was requested by Fire Lord Ozai to sail all around the world, with his son Prince Zuko and his older brother Former General Iroh to look for the MISSING Avatar, I just have to think myself, I knew I had started at a young age serving in the Fire Nation army and made General at 12 and not lost a single battle in my time, it seemed a waste to just throw me into this situation. But then I remember the event it all started when I finished my battle with my soldiers in the Earth Kingdom, we had again won the battle and were heading home…..

* * *

… _.We departed the ship, I wanted to go home but I couldn't as now both my parents being dead there was no reason for me to go home and I had to debrief the Fire Lord on the battle, along with attending a War meeting. I watch all my soldiers depart the ship along with all the cargo making sure nothing goes wrong. Once everything was done, it was time to go to my assigned room to get ready for the War meeting that would be taking place that afternoon._

* * *

 _I made it to the assigned room, I put my bag on the bed and went for my soothing bath, after that I got dressed into my clothes ready for the War meeting, I was the only female and way younger than anyone in that room so it was always uncomfortable for me but I pushed through. Once I finished my bath and dressed in my clothes I had time before I had to leave, I began to write out reports of my time in the battle I had been in with my soldiers and soon it was time to go to the War Room. I saw the rest of the Generals making their way as I closed my door and walked alongside them on the walk to the War Room with a strange feeling in my stomach, an almost ominous feeling._

* * *

 _We walked down the hallway on our way to the War Room, I still had the ominous feeling in my stomach as I got closer to the room, once we turned the corner onto the hallway where the War Room was, I could see a boy about my age, he was arguing with the guards out front of the War Room, he was Prince Zuko, you know the rest of this._

* * *

 _Once inside The War Chamber which is a temple like-chamber, with a throne on a dais, wreathed in fire and the back wall is occupied by some sort of huge, ornately carved red statue. We all sat in our seats surrounding a map of the Earth Kingdom, we could all still hear Prince Zuko demanding to go side, but I didn't want someone almost pure to come inside to this horrible room. But my wishes were ignored and Prince Zuko along with Former General Iroh came into the room but just to observe the War Council. "We shall begin with the debriefing of General Rin and her men in the battle of the Great Divide." One of the General's announced, he was trying to make me a fool but it always backfired on them as I got my from my seat, all eyes were on me, I could feel the shock coming from Prince Zuko as he saw that I was his age and female, it was always shocking to people._

" _It was successful, we were finished early than we thought, we only lost three men but captured 17 of the Earth Kingdom soldiers that are now on their way to the Boiling Rock prison." I debriefed quickly as there wasn't really much to tell them, and sat back down._

" _Thank you, General Rin, now let's get to business shall we." He announced holding a grim look as he said this and one of the Generals to the left of the room stood to address the rest of us._

" _The Earth Kingdom defences are concentrated here." He informed us as the Fire Lord sat on his throne watching over us discussing the situation. "A dangerous battalion of their strongest Earthbenders and fiercest warriors, so I am recommending the 41st division." He suggested to the room._

" _But the 41st is entirely new recruits. How do you expect them to defeat a powerful Earth Kingdom battalion?" An older General questioned him._

" _He doesn't. They'll be used as a distraction while he mounts an attack from the rear." I cutted in coldly looking at the General in disgust at the very thought._

" _What better to use as bait then fresh meat?" The General asked the room rhetorically._

" _You can't sacrifice an entire division like that! Those soldiers love and defend our nation! How can you betray them?" Prince Zuko jumped up to defend those soldiers, we all looked back at Prince Zuko, some clearly disapproving of Prince Zuko's outburst. This was not good, he had now offended Fire Lord Ozai, it was now time for an Agni Kai._

* * *

 _I protested against this, it was horrible, Prince Zuko would still go on with the Agni Kai against the Fire Lord, all the General's had to be present at the time, though I did not want to be there. I stood at the far back of the crowd, Prince Zuko fight was in a rectangular arena with a large crowd on either side, I was with the rest of the Generals and watched him drop his ceremonial cloak to the floor, exposing his bare chest. He turned to face his opponent, and recognized him to be his Father, Fire Lord Ozai, he froze up in horror._

 _In the arena, a much larger opponent silhouetted advances slowly towards Zuko making the poor boy terrified. "Please, Father, I only had the fire nation's best interest at heart! I'm sorry I spoke out of turn!" Zuko pleads with his father for mercy. The Fire Lord advanced, still a silhouette against the fires burnt around the arena. He too was shirtless_ _but built massively compared to others._

" _You will fight for your honour." Fire Lord Ozai ordered him._

" _I meant you no disrespect. I am your loyal son." Zuko pleaded, stricken as he tried to humble himself towards his father on the floor._

" _Rise and fight, Prince Zuko!" Fire Lord Ozai ordered him sharply._

" _I won't fight you." Zuko stood his ground against his Father still in a pleading tone._

" _You will learn respect, and suffering will be your teacher." Fire Lord Ozai warned his son and stood a few feet from Zuko, as he raised his tear-filled face to his Father. I glared at the Fire Lord as he fired a blast at his only Son illuminating the crowd, then followed by a scream of anguish from Prince Zuko, I knew that pain, as he would now have a scar over his eye like I had on my right shoulder. I couldn't stand it anymore and walked out of the room, which seen could be seen as disrespectful to the Fire Lord, but I couldn't watch it anymore._

* * *

 _It was a day after the events of the Agni Kai, I had heard that Prince Zuko was in the healing house, he hadn't regained consciousness just yet. I was in my room when I heard a knock at the door, I opened it to find a messenger that told me to go to see the Fire Lord. Oh no._

* * *

 _I walked into the Fire Lord's Throne Room, he sat on his throne, flames bursting from the ground in front of him as usual. He seemed angry due to the Agni Kai. "I have called you, General Rin to assign you a new mission." The Fire Lord addressed me, I stood to attention waiting for this so-called new mission he was going to put me on, it had to be important, something that needed someone like me. "As you know, my disappointment of a son has been banished from the Fire Nation as punishment for losing against me in the Agni Kai and my brother Iroh has decided to go along with him. Now I want you to accompany them, on this mission I have given him is to find the long-lost Avatar, your mission is to try and sabotage finding the Avatar if you believe he is close to finding the Avatar, and report back to me if you believe it is of importance. As I am aware of your spies in the Earth Kingdom, even in the North Pole." He told me, I couldn't believe he was giving his son such a harsh task to complete, it was almost impossible and one that could never be completed._

" _Understood Fire Lord, I wish to serve you in any way I can." I agreed to the mission, even if I should not return to the Fire Nation I would not have much to miss._

* * *

 _I walked into my assigned room, it was tidy and I was already packed, we would be leaving late today and I knew I needed help keeping an eye on the Fire Lord, Azula and the Generals, I needed Nishi and Eiji, they were servants in the Fire Nation Palace and could get into every room unnoticed, it was perfect._

* * *

To this day I still hate that I agreed in some way to the mission but so much good came out of it, like falling in love with Zuko, having crazy adventures and meeting new allies in the fight and seeing old ones. But I must help on the day of the Black Sun!

 **A/N: Hi there its DeadGirlEternal here and this is the final chapter in Book 2, the next book is out now so just go onto my stories it's 'Avatar: Last Airbender - Fire Lady Rin' so please don't forget to review, favourite and follow, see ya soon!**


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